Cold Case Missing Persons

Cold case resources are plentiful, not only for missing people, but also for cold case murders. Project: Cold Case is an online database with information for over 24,000 cold case murders, and many states each have their own database or list for unsolved cases. Although it is difficult to gauge what percent of murders go unsolved, according to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, roughly 40% of murders go unsolved in the United States alone. Despite the percentage of murders solved declining steadily in the United States, it is important to remember that cold cases are continuing to be solved. For example, it is important to also look at what percent of murders are solved in America.The same FBI organization also reported that the clearance of homicide cases has declined steadily from 90% solved in 1965 to around 61% solved in 2019.

Some might think that salacious, infamous, or even creepy murders are those that go unsolved and become a cold case. While that might be true for some cases, the reality is that many unsolved cold cases of the murdered or missing are just cases that do not have a resolution. Cases that have not had viable activity related to finding answers for many months, and sometimes even years. A sad reality is that there are over 200,000 unsolved cold cases of the murdered and missing and that every year 5,000 vanish.

Recent unsolved murders vary from city to state. And while the closure rate on unsolved crimes continues to fall, and the recent announcement of a new system for crime reporting means more insight at the local and national level, the updated data collection could lead to inconsistencies for evaluating trends. F.B.I. released preliminary statistics showing a major increase in the instances of murder in 2020, with a 25 percent rise in agencies that reported quarterly data—keep in mind not every state reports data and there is no central repository of this information.

In fact, mysterious murders solved in the last few years have been contributed mainly to advancements in genetic DNA. Genetic genealogy has gone on to help solve many cold case missing persons cases. There have been documentaries dedicated to these efforts, as well as podcasts and magazine articles. While many may think that the at-home genetic DNA kit they receive at the holidays is a creative gift, it can actually help uncover answers in unsolved cold cases. The same cold cases that have gone unsolved or dormant for multiple years. Families can now get answers in some cases, or help others by sharing their DNA.

How To Find Old Homicide Cases

How many murders go unsolved? Well, according to the expert estimations based on the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the United States of America currently has over 250,000 unsolved murders and reports that every year, an estimated 6,000 cases get added to that list. Sadly, there is not an easily accessible list of unsolved murders, Wikipedia offers a large list of unsolved murders from before the 20th century up to the 21st century. Although this list most likely does not include every single unsolved homicide case, it is a good place to start finding a case to look into. Within these lists, you can find some of the most famous unsolved murders as well as lesser-known unsolved murders.

A big question for those interested in unsolved cases is how to find old homicide cases. There are a wide variety of resources, including databases, that can assist you in your search for any and all cases of interest to you. Although many lists of unsolved murders might not show all of the details of a specific case, with a simple search for the specific individual’s name, you can easily find news pages, blog posts, and database entries for the individual.

If you’re trying to look up homicide cases, you can search The Murder Accountability Project, the specific police department for the area or state police’s website, the FBI’s website, or other state departments of investigation. Otherwise, if you’re wondering how to look up a cold case other than a homicide, such as a missing person, The Charley Project, NAMUS, and NCMEC, can be extremely helpful resources.

Famous Murders

“Everyone with an interest in true crime has that one case that sent them down the rabbit hole for the first time, in many cases, some of the most famous unsolved murders, and often some of the most gruesome murders. From the murders of JonBenet Ramsey, Caylee Anthony, Elizabeth Short (The Black Dahlia), or the disappearances of Maura Murray among others. Some individuals find their start in the world of true crime with serial killers, most people have that one case that piqued their interest in the True Crime genre. Although many “true crime addicts” can name many serial killers who have been arrested and convicted, some famous unsolved serial killers include the mysterious Zodiac Killer, the Long Island Serial Killer, Jack the Ripper, and the Highway of Tears Killer(s).

Although many cases have been “cold” for decades and haven’t been solved, it is vitally important to never give up on any case, which could always be one tip away from being solved. One of many famous solved murders that was solved recently was the murder of Lin Jun, by Citizen Detectives just like you and me. Netflix’s documentary “Don’t F**K With Cats” quickly gripped the attention of everyone’s interest in true crime as we watched a group of Citizen Detectives all around the world solve Lin’s murder and lead to the conviction of Luka Magnotta.”

Unsolved Case Files

Unsolved case files are something any Citizen Detective wishes to get a copy of, but sadly, it can be extremely difficult for anyone outside of law enforcement to legally obtain entire real cold case files with all the information in a case. Whether you really want to crack one of many unsolved child murders or unsolved family murders. Unsolved murders are a huge interest in the true crime community, and in most cases, you can search unsolved murders by state and find a well-developed list of many unsolved murders in the USA.

Cold Cases Unsolved

A big question you might be asking is: why do murders go unsolved? A few simple answers to this difficult question is that many homicide cases have little physical evidence, lack of information regarding motive, lack of motivation to solve the case, and many others. Although murders are constantly being solved, how many unsolved murders are there in the United States, is a question whose answer is constantly changing. Although progress is constantly being made in many cold cases, there are over 250,000 unsolved murders in the United States alone, with that number increasing by an estimated 6,000 every year.

A follow-up question you may have after hearing this startling number might be; what state has the most unsolved murders? In the United States, according to the Project: Cold Case, California has the most unsolved murders of any state in the United States. The next question you might be asking is, how many unsolved murders in California? California has over 33,000 unsolved homicide cases, according to statistics written by Project: Cold Case.