Cold Case Investigations: Multidisciplinary Strategies

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND AGENDA (CLICK HERE)

This intensive course is designed for dedicated law enforcement professionals, attorneys, prosecutors, and certified private investigators actively involved in the challenging realm of solving cold cases. A case is generally considered "cold" when all significant and viable leads have been exhausted and there has been no activity for a pre-established timeframe (often one year or more). This can include unsolved homicides, questionable deaths suspected to be homicides, suspicious missing person cases, and unidentified remains.

In this training we will offer tools to properly perform a “solvability review” of our cold cases and obtain a “solvability rating”. This numerical “solvability rating” will allow us to better triage our cold cases.

Through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach, our students will acquire cutting-edge strategies and best practices essential for reexamining, revitalizing, and ultimately resolving cold cases. The course will delve into the complexities of these

investigations, addressing the challenges posed by time, evidence degradation, and evolving investigative landscapes.

Participants will be provided with a foundational procedural checklist to begin each case review, ensuring a systematic and thorough approach. The curriculum covers a diverse array of modern resources and techniques, including:
• Advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy: Using
modern science to gain new insights from previously tested or
degraded evidence.

• Digital footprint analysis: Utilizing digital trails to reconstruct events, identify suspects, and establish timelines.

• Enhanced forensic methodologies: Employing contemporary techniques to re-examine existing evidence and identify new leads.

• Criminal intelligence analysis: Utilizing crime patterns, trends, and offender behavior analysis to develop investigative strategies and identify potential suspects.

The course emphasizes innovative investigative strategies, including
non-traditional techniques and collaborative approaches, to maximize
the likelihood of successful case resolution.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:
1. Define the attributes of cold cases.

2. Formulate strategies for prioritizing cold cases based on solvability
factors, resource allocation, and investigative potential.

3. Systematically review and evaluate cold case files, identifying
missed opportunities, critical evidence, and potential solvability
factors.

4. Apply advanced forensic techniques, including DNA analysis and
digital forensics, to generate new leads and evidence in cold cases.

5. Recognize the seven key considerations we should be aware of
when recovering Digital Footprints

6. Learn how to build a cold case team of professionals to analyze
criminal intelligence, develop comprehensive offender profiles,
identify crime patterns and focus investigative efforts.

7. Employ effective communication strategies when engaging with
victims' families and the community, ensuring transparency and
trust.