What It's Like to Work on Cold Cases
Recent advancements in cold case investigations have led to breakthroughs, including arrests and suspect identifications. Challenges persist due to resource limitations, emotional tolls, and many cases lacking DNA evidence.
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Recent advancements in cold case investigations have led to significant breakthroughs in several long-unsolved murder cases. Retired police officer Thomas Elfmont, who came out of retirement to work on a cold case in Montana, believes he has identified the killer of a teenage girl from 1996. In just eight days, law enforcement announced progress in four cold cases, including the arrest of a 75-year-old man for a 1973 murder in California and the identification of suspects in two Texas murders from the 1980s. Despite these successes, cold case investigations remain challenging due to the lack of dedicated resources in many police departments and the emotional toll on investigators. The work often involves revisiting old evidence, interviewing witnesses, and utilizing new forensic technologies, such as genetic genealogy, which has proven effective in solving cases that had previously stalled. However, the reality is that many cases lack DNA evidence, and the number of unsolved homicides in the U.S. remains alarmingly high, with nearly 300,000 cases since 1980. The recent resolution of Danielle Houchins' case illustrates both the potential for breakthroughs and the tragic outcomes that can accompany these investigations, as the identified suspect took his own life shortly after being interviewed.
- Cold case investigations have seen recent breakthroughs, with several long-unsolved murders being addressed.
- Retired officers like Thomas Elfmont are actively contributing to solving cold cases.
- Advances in forensic technology, particularly genetic genealogy, are aiding in solving previously stalled cases.
- Many cold cases remain unsolved due to lack of resources and evidence.
- The emotional toll on investigators is significant, as they often deal with families seeking closure.
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5 commentsOne of my favorite episodes was his first homicide case. A gas station was robbed and the clerk was killed. No video, no prints, etc. However there was a necklace that was dropped. It had some kind of pattern, so he called every. single. jeweler in the area. He called a lot, and eventually got a hit and found his man.
It's this kind of diligence and dedication (plus technology) that can crack cases open, even cold ones. Like the article here, he found 4 untested hairs that cracked it open.
Why aren't the real police revisiting these cases? Why are we arming them better and better against our own people instead of spending some money on actual cops to solve crimes?
Every time one of these is solved by amateurs, we should be asking why the system is failing.
Wow.
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