Cold Case Murders Solved

Cold case murders are being solved at a faster rate than ever, with the help of DNA technology improvements made in the last few years. Some of the most famous cold cases solved by DNA technology include the Golden State Killer and the Boston Strangler. With the advancements of DNA technology in recent years, investigators all over the world are retesting evidence from cold cases and are constantly solving cold cases by using the forensic evidence from when the crime initially occurred.

Like I’ve previously mentioned, cold cases are continuing to be solved every year, bringing justice and answers to families of murdered and missing individuals all over the United States. For example, cold cases solved in 2020 include the 28-year-old cold case of Baby April, whose killer was identified in 2020 by a matching the suspects’ DNA profile to the profile of Angela Renee Siebke, the 1963 murder of Margaret “Peggy” Beck, and the 2010 murder of Sherry Black, among many others.

​Cold Case Murders Solved

Although most cold case files are not available to the public, there are a number of cold case resources that are publicly available data and records. These can be available via sites such as Namus, The Charley Project, Black and Missing Foundation, Inc (BAMFI), DNA Doe Project, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Database, and the Trans Doe Task Force. Many of these resources not only contain lists of cold cases and lists of unsolved murders, some can help walk you through how to look up a cold case.

Although there isn’t a step-by-step guide on how to look up or research cold cases, Uncovered offers a free downloadable Citizen Detective Guide which offers links to various resources, such as the ones mentioned above, as well as including information regarding how to be a better Citizen Detective. The Citizen Detective Guide also has a wide range of tips and tricks on how to use Google like a pro, and includes a list of resources in order to find archived information.

Unsolved Case Files

Although unsolved case files may not be available to the public, there is plenty of information available for many famous solved murders, as well as for some of the most famous unsolved murders. Even though full case files for unsolved cases may not be available to the general public, for well-known cases, such as those related to famous unsolved serial killers, there are plenty of online resources which hold seemingly neverending information to put together an almost complete case file of your own. For example, the identity of the well-known serial killer, the Zodiac Killer, is currently unknown, there are website, some of which recognized by law enforcement agencies, which contains all of the information available to the public.

If you are a fan of the series ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ you’re no stranger to odd cases and circumstances. Mysterious murders solved in part by the production of this series include the 1992 murder of Bonnie Haim, the 2001 Anthrax Murders, the 1993 disappearance and murder of Alie Berrelez, and the 1994 kidnapping and murder of Michael Hughes.

Unsolved Cold Cases

In the United States alone there are over 200,000 unsolved cold cases, some of which are recent cold cases, others have been unsolved, or labeled as “cold” for decades. Although this number is startling and seems to be rising every year, cold cases are continuing to be solved every year due in part to advancements in forensics and DNA technology. Some recently solved cold cases in 2019 using advanced DNA technology include the 1972 murder of Jody Loomis, the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie, and the 1988 murder of Alice Haynsworth Ryan, among many others. More recently solved cold cases in 2020 due to DNA technology includes the 1973 murder of Naomi Sanders, the 1996 murder of Jessica Baggen, and the 1986 murder of Lisa Holstead, among many others.

Sadly, cases continue to go unsolved today. More recent unsolved murders, which we have worked to visualize on Uncovered, include the 2017 murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, the unsolved 2016 murder of Terri “Missy” Bevers, and the 2012 murder of Faith Hedgepeth.

The best place to start when researching a cold case is the case files. Although real cold case files are not always available to the general public and are usually hard to find, there are plenty of resources online which can lead you to find all released information regarding the specific cold case you are interested in. If you’re interested in one specific cold case, a good place to start is with a local law enforcement agency’s resources while searching for any real unsolved case files.

How To Start A Cold Case Investigation

If you’re interested in true crime and cold cases, you’ve most likely wondered how to start a cold case investigation. A good place to start on your journey into becoming a Citizen Detective is to do a bit of research into picking an unsolved murder. If you’re beginning this process, you might find yourself searching for unsolved murders by state, which is often a great place to start. There are currently over 250,000 unsolved murders in the USA alone, a number which is constantly rising through the years. Although this number is startling, it is vital to acknowledge that every year, cold cases continue to be solved, thanks to advancements in forensic technologies, but also thanks to Citizen Detectives just like us, who often push for cases to be solved by putting pressure on local law enforcement agencies.

A great place to start exploring your interest in the true crime genre is podcasts. There are countless true crime podcasts, some of which focusing on unsolved cold cases, and others which are labeled as solved murders podcasts, meaning they focus solely on solved cases. Many times, podcasts that focus on solved cases cover mainly cases where weird murders were solved and usually track the progress in the investigations over time until their resolution.

If you are a fan of the series ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ you’re no stranger to odd cases and the strange circumstances revolving around many unsolved cases. If you are a long-time fan of the show, you might find yourself searching Google for answers to your questions about the show, some of which might include; unsolved mysteries that have finally been solved, unsolved mysteries that were solved Netflix, or even unsolved mysteries cases solved in 2020. With these searches, you will be able to find various cases which received big breaks after the series aired, and even some that have since been solved, including; the 1978 murder of Larry Dickens, the arrest of fugitive couple Missy Munday and Jerry Strickland, and the identification of the John Doe in the ‘Box of Bones’ episode of the series.