CPD announces the creation of a collaborative cold case task force

CINCINNATI – With more than 400 unsolved murder cases in Cincinnati – some dating back to the 1940s – the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) has announced the launch of a collaborative cold case task force.

The task force will be led by two experienced homicide detectives within the CPD, whose sole responsibility is to review unsolved homicide cases.

“In reviewing these cold cases, if there is prior evidence in the case that can be presented using new technology, our detectives will activate the cold case task force,” Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said.

In activating the task force, investigators will receive support and resources from partners within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Hamilton County Coroner’s Office and Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

“(The) ATF has a long track record of working closely with all agencies in this room to investigate and prosecute violent gun crime in the city of Cincinnati,” said Daryl McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Columbus Field Division. “We plan to take a fresh look at old evidence and integrate the techniques we have used.”

McCormick said some of the techniques the ATF uses at the Cincinnati Crime Gun Intelligence Center include re-examining ballistic evidence using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network system.

“It’s clear that DNA (analysis) didn’t exist in 1940,” says Dr. Lakshmi Kode Sammarco, Hamilton County coroner. “There are many new techniques that our office has introduced since 1995, when DNA analysis was really just beginning.”

Theetge said the idea came from a conversation she had with current Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers.

“We started talking about it — both of us, knowing that we have the resources, some of which are limited — but if we can combine those resources, we can make this happen,” Theetge said. “That’s actually what started this conversation.”

“Throughout my career as a prosecutor, I have seen firsthand the healing power of closure for crime victims,” said Powers, who is running for Hamilton County prosecutor in next week’s election. “You will never forget the relief on the faces of family members when they hear the word guilty in court.”

When asked if there would be a cost to creating a task force, Theetge said, “I don’t see any negative financial impact on the city.”

For Hope DudleyThe creation of the task force means there is a possibility that she will feel peace after waiting patiently for seventeen years for answers about her son’s death.

Daniel “Chaz” Dudley was 26 years old when someone killed him in a drive-by shooting in September 2007.

Hope Dudley

“You don’t want someone to hug you because you don’t know if that’s the person who killed your child,” Dudley said when asked what life is like for the family of a cold case victim.

She implores anyone with information about an unsolved murder to call CrimeStoppers anonymously. Tips are welcome by phone at 513-352-3040 or online.

“For families like mine, you don’t think anyone is listening,” she said. “So I’m encouraged and my goal is to encourage someone else that someone is actually listening.”