1st Edition

Cold Cases An Evaluation Model with Follow-up Strategies for Investigators

By James M. Adcock, Sarah L. Stein Copyright 2011
    264 Pages 33 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Nearly 185,000 homicides since 1980 remain unsolved, yet with limited staff and resources, it is no surprise that law enforcement units place the bulk of their efforts on current cases where victims’ family members and the media demand answers. Cold Cases: An Evaluation Model with Follow-up Strategies for Investigators provides a comprehensive roadmap for digging those cold cases out of the file room and getting them resolved. Practical and concise, the book is an invaluable tool for police officers and detectives attempting to solve crimes that would otherwise be forgotten.

    Evaluating the Case

    Divided into three sections, the book begins with a historical perspective on how cases get to the point where it appears all investigative leads have been exhausted. It includes a chapter on understanding the process of homicide and those who kill — critical information for the homicide investigator. Next, the authors explain the evaluation model. They demonstrate the key elements of organization, thoroughness, and the value of the scientific method. This section validates theories of the crime, raises evidentiary issues and concerns, addresses the informational and behavioral aspects relative to the crime and the participants in the crime, and documents investigative strategies for future efforts on the case.

    Investigating and Solving the Crime

    The third section discusses the investigation that follows the evaluation. The book considers questions investigators must ask, including what should be looked at beyond the case file itself, and how the growth in technology since the date of the incident might provide new opportunities to uncover clues. This section also explores the choice of interview/interrogation techniques based on the behavioral aspects involved. Finally, the authors suggest how investigators can maximize their efforts and obtain not just an arrest, but a conviction.

    Useful appendices include sample standard operating procedures from three different agencies to use as a guide for setting up a cold case unit and a list of additional resources a department may look to for assistance. By following the cold cases evaluation model in this volume, those charged with resolving long-forgotten crimes can increase their chance of an accurate resolution, or at least be able to say that everything that can be done has been done.

    Section I: Getting Started: How Do We Prepare to Review and Conduct Cold Case Investigations?
    What Is a Cold Case and How Did We Get Here? J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    Historical Perspective
    Understanding the Process of Homicide and Those Who Kill; J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    Social Scientists’ Research on Homicide
    Homicide During the 1960s to 1990s
    Solvability Research
    The Phases of Homicide
    Creating a Cold Case Squad (Concepts for Initialization); J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein

    Section II: The Evaluation Process
    The Cold Case Evaluation Model—Introduction and Phase I;
    J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    Introduction
    Cold Case Evaluation Protocol
    Phase I
    The Case File
    Official Documents
    Police Reports
    Victimology
    Statements/Interviews
    Physical/Forensic Evidence
    Records
    Persons of Interest
    Handwritten Notes
    Media
    Miscellaneous
    The Cold Case Evaluation Model—Phase II; J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    The Evaluation Model
    The Cold Case Evaluation Model—Phases III and IV; J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    Phase III
    Phase IV

    Section III: Follow-up Investigative Strategies
    Applying Science and Technology to Cold Cases;
    A. B. Harper
    Science and the Scientific Method in Criminal Investigation
    Scientific Advances, Databases, and Linkage Possibilities
    DNA and Biological Evidence
    Fingerprint Evidence

    Ballistics Evidence
    Other Database and Analytical Tools
    Suspect Identification Using Pre-, Peri-, and Post-Offense Behaviors; R. Walter, S. L. Stein, and J. M. Adcock
    Perpetrator Subtypes
    Power-Assertive Type
    Power-Reassurance Type
    Anger-Retaliatory Type
    Anger-Excitation Type

    Methods
    Crime Behavior
    Pre-Crime Behavior
    Post-Crime Behavior
    Case Illustration
    Interview and Interrogation Issues and Concerns Relating to Cold Cases; J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    The Interview Process
    The Behavioral Analysis Interview (BAI)
    The Prescriptive Interview
    Murder Typologies and Interrogation Strategies
    Evaluation Reports and Legal Considerations; J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein
    Report Formats
    The Prosecutor
    Legal Considerations
    General Considerations
    Chain of Custody
    Memory of Witnesses
    Loss of Evidence

    Other
    The Murder of Martha Moxley (A Case Study)
    Martha’s Story

    Conclusion; J. M. Adcock and S. L. Stein

    Appendices

    A: Office of the Morris County Prosecutor—Standard Operating Procedures

    B: Metropolitan Police Department—Major Case/Cold Case Squads—Standard Operating Procedures

    C: Establishing a Police Gray Squad to Resolve Unsolved Homicide Cases—Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa, OK

    D: Sample Cold Case Evaluation Report

    E: Alternate Resources for Investigators

    Index

    Biography

    James M. Adcock, PhD and Sarah L. Stein, MFS are with The Center for the Resolution of Unresolved Crime (CRUC) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA

    "I recommend this book to forensic practitioners. … We can gain a better understanding of the anatomy of a cold case investigation and how we can better assist the investigators."
    — Alan Benton, B.A., Sgt. ( Retired), Forensics Instructor, Ontario Police College