Cold case
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A cold case is a crime or an accident that has not yet been solved to the full and is not the subject of a recent criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, retained material evidence, as well as fresh activities of the suspect. New technical methods developed after the case can be used on the surviving evidence to re-analyze the causes, often with conclusive results.
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Famous criminal examples
The identity of Jack the Ripper is a notorious example of an outstanding cold case, with numerous suggestions as to the identity of the serial killer. Similarly, the Zodiac Killer has been studied extensively for 40 years, with numerous suspects discussed and debated. The perpetrators of the Wall Street bombing of 1920 have never been positively identified, though the Galleanists, a group of Italian anarchists, are widely believed to have planned the explosion. The burning of the Reichstag building in 1933 remains controversial and although Marinus van der Lubbe was tried, convicted and executed for arson, it is possible that the Reichstag fire was perpetrated by the Nazis to enhance their power and destroy democracy in Germany.
Notable solved criminal cold cases
1950s
- Gerald Mason (1957)
1960s
- Lucy Ann Johnson (1961)
- 16th Street Baptist Church bombing (1963)
- Barbara Ann Hackman Taylor (the tent girl) (1967)
1970s
- Helen Betty Osborne (1971)
- Steven Stayner (1972)
- BTK Killer (1974–1991)
- Martha Moxley (1975)
- Holly Maddux (1977)
- The Unabomber (1978–1995)
- Etan Patz (inconclusive) (1979)
- Caledonia Jane Doe (1979)
1980s
- The Unabomber (1978–1995)
- BTK Killer (1974–1991)
- Azaria Chamberlain (1980)
- Tina Harmon (1981)
- Adam Walsh (inconclusive) (1981)
- Roger Wheeler (1981)
- Altemio Sanchez, known as the Bike Path Rapist (1981–2006)
- Gary Ridgway known as the 'Green River Killer' (1982–1998)
- Jeanine Nicarico (1983)
- Kylie Maybury (1984)
- John Sohus (1985)
- Sherri Rasmussen (1986)
- Gregory Webb (1986)
- Lita McClinton (1987)
- Carlina White (1987)
- Lil Miss (1988)
- Signal Mountain murders (1988)
- Oba Chandler (1989)
- Sharon Marshall (1989)
- Renee Baker (1989–1993)
- Jacob Wetterling (1989)
1990s
- BTK Killer (1974–1991)
- The Unabomber (1978–1995)
- Altemio Sanchez, known as the Bike Path Rapist (1981–2006)
- Gary Ridgway known as the 'Green River Killer' (1982–1998)
- Renee Baker (1989–1993)
- Beverly McGowan (1990)
- Jessica Keen (1991)
- Timothy Wiltsey (1991)
- Jaycee Lee Dugard (1991)
- Shauna Howe (1992)
- Brown's Chicken massacre (1993)
- Charlie Keever and Jonathan Sellers (1993)
- Mia Zapata (1993)
- Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1995)
- Centennial Olympic Park bombing (1996)
- Tanya Nicole Kach (1996)
- Aimee Willard (1996)
- Eric Robert Rudolph (1996–1998)
2000s
- Altemio Sanchez, known as the Bike Path Rapist (1981–2006)
- 2001 anthrax attacks (inconclusive) (2001)
- Chandra Levy (2001)
- Miranda Gaddis and Ashley Pond (2002)
- Shawn Hornbeck (2002)
- Kidnapping of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight (2002–2004)
- Murder of Daniel Morcombe (2003)
- Liz Carmichael (2004)
- Andrew Kissel (2006)
- Deaths of Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce Pearce (2008)
- Murder of Morgan Dana Harrington (2009)
2010s
- McStay family murder (2010)
Notable unsolved criminal cold cases
Pre-1950s
- Abby and Andrew Borden (1892)
- Villisca axe murders (1912)
- Hinterkaifeck murders (1922)
- Texarkana Moonlight Murders (1946)
- The Black Dahlia murder (1947)
- Taman Shud Case (1948)
1950s
- Barbara and Patricia Grimes (1956)
- Boy in the Box (Philadelphia) (1957)
- Rosemarie Nitribitt (1957)
- Walker family murders (1959)
- Dyatlov Pass incident (1959)
1960s
- Wanda Beach Murders (1965)
- The Beaumont children (1966)
- Harold Holt (1967)
- Zodiac Killer (1968–1969)
- Betsy Aardsma (1969)
1970s
- Disappearance of Robin Graham (1970)
- D. B. Cooper (1971)
- Freeway Phantom killer (1971- 1972)
- Alphabet murders (1971–1973)
- Kidnapping of Carlos Ramires da Costa (1973)
- Sandra Rivett / Disappearance of Lord Lucan (1974)
- Arlis Perry (1974)
- Karen Silkwood (1974)
- Barbara Colby (1975)
- Jimmy Hoffa (1975)
- Disappearance of the Lyon sisters (1975)
- Bradford Bishop (1976)
- Lisa Dickinson (1976)
- Sumter County Does (1976)
- Oakland County Child Killer (1976–1977)
- Helen Brach (1977)
- Oklahoma girl scout murders (1977)
- Burger Chef murders (1978)
- Murder of actor Bob Crane (1978)
- Murder of Tammy Alexander (1979)
- Connecticut River Valley Killer (1978–1987)
- Original Night Stalker (1979–1986)
1980s
- Connecticut River Valley Killer (1978–1987)
- Original Night Stalker (1979–1986)
- Keddie Murders (1981)
- Ken McElroy (1981)
- Chicago Tylenol murders (1982)
- Disappearance of Johnny Gosch (1982)
- Disappearance of Tony Jones (1982)
- Tammy Lynn Leppert (1983)
- Disappearance of Kevin Andrew Collins (1984)
- Murder of Mark Tildesley (1984)
- Assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme (1986)
- Colonial Parkway Killer (1986–1989)
- Murder of Jaclyn Dowaliby (1988)
- Kidnapping of Michaela Garecht (1988)
- New Bedford Highway Killer (1988–1989)
- Michael Anthony Hughes (1989)
- Amy Mihaljevic (1989)
1990s
- Las Cruces Bowling Alley massacre (1990)
- Disappearance of Michael Dunahee (1991)
- Disappearance of Ben Needham (1991)
- The Springfield Three (1992)
- Piotr Jaroszewicz and Alicja Solska- Jaroszewicz (1992)
- Holly Piirainen (1993)
- Murder of Deanna Cremin (1995)
- Disappearance of Morgan Nick (1995)
- Jodi Huisentruit (1995)
- JonBenet Ramsey (1996)
- Murder of rapper Tupac Shakur (1996)
- Disappearance of Kristin Smart (1996)
- Long Island serial killer (1996–2013)
- Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley (1998)
- Suzanne Jovin (1998)
2000s
- Bear Brook murders (1978–2000)
- Long Island serial killer (1996–2013)
- Susan Berman (2000)
- Death of Molly Bish (2000)
- Bonnie Lee Bakley (2001)
- Murder of Jill-Lyn Euto (2001)
- Robert William Fisher (2001)
- Jennifer Servo (2002)
- Jonathan Luna (2003)
- Disappearance of Maura Murray (2004)
- Rashawn Brazell (2005)
- Ray Gricar (2005)
- Murder of Alexandra (Alex) Anaya (2005)
- Disappearance of Tara Grinstead (2005)
- Disappearance of Natalee Holloway (2005)
- Murder of Officer Thomas T. Wood (2006)
- Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2007)
- Shelly Miscavige (2007)
- Mitrice Richardson (2009)
- West Mesa murders (2009)
2010s
- Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam (2011)
- Murder of Officer Jason Ellis (2013)
- Long Island serial killer (1996–2013)
- Death of Elisa Lam (2013)
In popular culture
Film
Music
- Cold Case Files (2008) and Cold Case Files Vol. 2 (2012) are compilation albums by the rap group Onyx.
- "Cold Case Love" is a song on Rihanna's Rated R album, released November 23, 2009 on the Def Jam label.
- "Stella: The Cold Case" is an EP by Aafke Romeijn.
Television
- The Canadian television series Cold Squad (1998–2005), the British television series Waking the Dead (2000–2011) and the US television series Cold Case (2003–2010) all follow groups of fictional homicide detectives who investigate cold cases. They are set in Vancouver, London and Philadelphia, respectively.
- Cold Case Files (1999–2006) is a documentary-style television series recounting actual solved cold cases.
- New Tricks is a BBC series revolving around retired CID officers acting as consultants to serving officers and investigating unsolved cold cases.
See also
- Detective
- FBI Victims Indentification Project
- Forensic engineering
- Forensic photography
- Forensic science
- Unexplained disappearances