COLD CASE HOMICIDE
INVESTIGATIONS

The reality is that some homicide cases will go unsolved. There will be limits to the forensic technology available, the cooperation level of witnesses, and the time that can be dedicated to the task of solving a murder case. These limits are temporary, and it falls upon the cold case investigator to push these investigations beyond them.  The unsolved homicide case should never be acceptable for an investigator and will certainly never be acceptable to a victim’s family.  Today’s Homicide Detective needs to understand the importance of going beyond the usual investigative playbook when a case has lost momentum. They also must know how to apply current resources to cases that have been unresolved for extended periods of time.

The instructors for this intense and informative 24-hour training course are seasoned homicide detectives, Rick Sessions and Zack Scott.  Participants will be exposed to the newest techniques in developing investigative leads for open and unsolved cases, while also incorporating the historically proven best practices developed in the field of homicide investigations. The success of a cold case investigation rests in the ability to look beyond where a traditional investigation has gone and explore where it has not.  Participants will be given the best practices for reviewing open homicide case files, and how to prioritize the items they contain. Evaluation of collected evidence, prior witness interviews, and previously identified suspects will be discussed. The importance of approaching investigations from a different perspective and avoiding the risk of any previous “Tunnel Vision” conclusions will be covered.  Participants will be presented with new options available for the collection of previously undetected forensic material from archived physical evidence. The available new techniques of forensic analysis of evidence will be explained, as well as the resources available for these types of analysis. A working knowledge of genealogical analysis will be presented, as well as best practices in this field. The potential obstacles of introducing newly discovered evidence at trial and how to overcome them will be explored.

The importance of analytical investigative work will be presented. Determining the historical pattern of homicide in conjunction with other offenses with similar characteristics and the value it can provide in identifying potential suspects. Available resources for locating other cases with similar traits will be presented.  The use of social media and other open-source resources to locate original witnesses and identified potential suspects will be discussed.  Participants will be provided with resources available to obtain these types of investigative leads.  The use of various forms of media to generate leads on unsolved cases will be discussed. Available resources for public information sharing, as well as investigative community assets will be shared. The process of attempting to illicit new information for cases from the public and the potential risks involved will be explored.

Throughout this instruction, participants will be presented with real-life cold case investigations for review. They will be given the opportunity to review the case as an investigator and develop investigative strategies, putting into practice the principles presented during the program. This presentation of real-world case investigations allows participants to appreciate a practical application of the concepts discussed during this class.  Participants will learn the importance of preserving a potential stalled investigation for the next investigator that may pick up the case when new innovations arrive.  At the conclusion of the program, participants will be prepared to confidently pursue a stalled case to its resolution through non-traditional, innovative, and current investigative approaches.