Cold case homicide investigations are some of the most difficult and frustrating cases a detective will ever work, BUT they are also the most rewarding. This two-day seminar focuses on how to resurrect these cases and hopefully give the family some closure. There will be a major focus on forensic genetic genealogy.
Topics will include:
- Which case should you choose?
- Re-examining old cases, what should you look for?
- Forensic technology changes that may affect your cold cases.
- Recontacting the family – what do you say?
- You got a DNA hit, now what?
- Forensic genealogy – what is it and can this work for our case?
- Re-interviewing witnesses after 5, 10, 20 years.
- How to administer a photo line-up after 20 years.
- Should I re-interview the original detective?
- Early mistakes that haunt a case and how to overcome them.
- There will be multiple case studies presented over the two-day course.
Taught by Special Agent Jen Spears, see her bio here.
Below is an email to Jen thanking her, August 2024:
Good Afternoon Jen!
I just wanted to reach out, as promised, and let you know that we made an arrest on the 5 year old cold case of Jacob Bishop. I greatly appreciate your assistance in this case, and wanted to reiterate that attending your Cold Case Homicide class really helped in our investigation of this case. The largest things that I took away from your class were, number 1: Not to “Monday morning quarterback” the previous investigation of the case, 2: Organize the case (after 5 years and many different investigators assigned to the case there was paperwork missing and out of order), 3: Start from the beginning (We began by watching the body camera footage and reading the initial reports and witness statements and worked out way up). 4: Don’t get stuck on a suspect just because everyone says they did it. (In this case everyone “Knew” it was the ex-wife but couldn’t prove it. Turns out, the ex-wife set it up and was ultimately charged with first degree murder as well, but her cousin was the one that killed him.
Attached is press release from our Sheriff’s Office, I just wanted to share it with you!
Thank you again,