Cold case

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For the CBS television drama, see Cold Case.

Cold case refers to a criminal investigation (or "case") that remains unsolved and "on the books."

1 Characteristics of a "cold case"
2 Some Well-Known Cold Cases
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Characteristics of a "cold case"

[edit] Violent or major crime

Typically, cold cases are violent or other major felony crimes, such as murder or rape which unlike unsolved minor crimes are generally not subject to a statute of limitations.

[edit] Identifying a suspect

A case is considered unsolved until a suspect has been identified, charged, and tried for the crime. A case that goes to trial and does not result in a conviction can also be kept on the books pending new evidence. Many times, those investigating the case have a suspect in mind but have not been able to find evidence sufficient to charge the suspect with the crime.

[edit] Recent improvements in forensics

With the advent of improving DNA testing and other forensics technology, many cold cases are being re-opened and prosecuted. Police departments are opening cold case units whose job is to re-examine cold case files.

[edit] Some Well-Known Cold Cases

A well-known cold case [1] is the case of Judge Joseph Crater, a judge who stepped into a cab in 1930, and subsequently became the "missingest man in New York". In April, 2005, police revealed that they had found some evidence in the 1950s. A handwritten note by Stella Ferrucci-Good, in an envelope reading "Do not open until my death", claimed to give the location of Crater's body.[2] Human remains were found at the location, but lacking technology such as Genetic Fingerprinting police were unable to confirm the identity of the remains, which were later reburied in a mass grave.

Another cold case is the unofficially unsolved murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor who was found murdered in his home in 1923. In spite of several suspects and even a deathbed confession it is still considered unsolved.

The most recent well-known cold cases involve the still-unsolved murders of rap artists Tupac Shakur in 1996 and the Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.

Conspiracy theorists consider the John F. Kennedy assasination on November 22, 1963 as the ultimate cold case.