Here are some possible solutions regarding their resolution:
Technology and new investigative techniques
Technological advances, particularly in the areas of genetics (such as DNA) and data analysis (such as criminal databases and artificial intelligence), have made it much easier to solve some unsolved crimes. For example, investigations which seemed doomed to failure were relaunched thanks to:
DNA: The use of DNA databases, such as CODIS in the United States or FNAEG in France, has made it possible to resolve old cases, sometimes after decades of deadlock. This was particularly the case for cases of serial murders or disappearances.
Genetic genealogy: Specialized platforms have allowed investigators to use DNA left at a crime scene to find relatives of a suspect, which has helped to elucidate several unsolved cases.
Databases: the constant evolution of computer software capable of managing several pieces of information at once and also of analyzing the links which may be linked to them.
Relaunch of investigations based on new information or testimonies
Some cases can remain unresolved for years before a key element resurfaces. It could be a witness who finally decides to speak, a new suspect, or a new clue.
The impact of media and social networks
Media attention or public pressure can reignite investigations long after crimes have been committed. Social networks have particularly played a catalytic role in recent years, allowing old cases to come back into the spotlight.
Creation of commissions or specialized teams
Some jurisdictions create special commissions or cold case units to re-examine unresolved cases. These teams are often made up of experienced detectives, behavioral analysis specialists, and technicians who examine cases from another angle.
Many countries now have services specifically dedicated to the reopening of “cold cases”, drawing on new technologies and investigation methods.
In France,
On March 1, 2022, a unique and national judicial center, entirely dedicated to serial crimes and unsolved cases, also called “cold cases”, was created.
This new judicial unit, as its name indicates, is dedicated to criminal cases where the truth could not be clarified despite years of investigations. Attached to the Court of Appeal of Versailles, in Nanterre with national jurisdiction in matters of investigation, prosecution, instruction and judgment of crimes.
This center has the task of concentrating efforts, centralizing them and coordinating them, it makes it possible in particular to make links between complex or unclear procedures scattered across the national territory, to create a single point of contact for mutual legal assistance. European and international regarding these crimes.
To resolve these often complex cases, the cross-checking of several avenues, sometimes opened by different services, is necessary. Without the work of connecting one crime or another, without analyzing the perpetrator’s modus operandi, we cannot resolve complex cases.
The new judicial center dedicated to unsolved cases and serial crimes is a unique creation awaited for many years by the families of victims and their lawyers. For the victims, for the families, these old cases are still suffering. , the passage of time is the worst enemy of the elucidation of a case. This center must allow these cases to remain alive judicially and to offer a response to victims, so that these facts do not go unpunished and their victims do not fall into oblivion.
In the USA,
The investigation relating to a criminal act will always initially fall under the jurisdiction of the local police, then of the State when several municipalities are concerned, but in the event of a serial crime involving the jurisdiction of several States or presenting a certain complexity, the Assistance from the federal police, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), may be requested.
Over the years, the FBI has developed solid expertise in the treatment of complex crimes, in particular thanks to a unit specializing in the analysis of criminal behavior (Behavioral Analysis Unit). The FBI also has sophisticated resources (scientific and technical police laboratory, criminal databases supplied by all local police forces).
Other countries,
have created specialized units within the police bringing together investigators, sociologists, psychologists and researchers with the aim of providing assistance to the on-site teams responsible for the criminal case.
Interpol,
This global criminal police organization continues to put in place several tools and databases supplied by member countries in order to be able to elucidate several crimes. Various databases, such as DNA profiles, fingerprints, photos, etc.
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