Why Are Cases Cold

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

In the world of criminal investigation time is of the essence and it is common knowledge in the police world that if a crime does not generate a substantial lead or some kind of solid evidence within the first 48 hours it is likely that it will remain unsolved. As this time passes, the case grows cold just as death turns our bodies cold. Cold cases are a huge problem in today's society. Why are they such a problem? Imagine being the family of the victim whose case has gone cold. Everyday you sit wondering what happened to your child or parent or relative. If a case remains cold the families of these victims will remain without any closure and will always feel a sense of hope and a sense of dread.

In 1992 forty-five percent of all murder cases in the United States remained unsolved(Ramsland, 2004). However as the years have passed, new technology has led to a number of old cold cases finally being solved. However, thousands of cases still remain sitting in back files waiting for justice. So why with all this new technology developing in the world today and all of these new resources available to us, do so many murder cases go unsolved? This is the question I intend to answer.

RESEARCH PROBLEM

Why do so many