Cold Cases

The Eagle Cold Case Unit (ECCU)

The term Cold Case is widely used when a homicide investigation remains unsolved for an extended period of time.

Definition of the term “Cold Case”:
The Merriam–Webster definition is as follows: An unsolved criminal investigation (as of a homicide or abduction) that has stopped being actively pursued because of a lack of evidence.

The ECCU and Cold Cases

The ECCU is a network of second career Military, and Civilian professionals. Our goal is to contribute to the resolution of unsolved “Cold Cases”. ECCU will resolve these cases, not just talk about them.

ECCU team members are Subject Matter Experts in Strategic Investigative Planning, Advanced Interviewing Techniques, and Advanced Investigative Technologies. These skill sets, expertise, and experiences were obtained at the highest level of Military and Civilian professions.

A cold case remains in a theoretical “closed” status until new evidence is uncovered, or additional effort is exerted on the case. Local law enforcement regularly is encumbered with current crimes and real time emergency needs in a given community.

Once a case has gone cold from a time perspective, there is little that an overworked and understaffed agency can do without passively receiving additional information and/or evidence. A cold case requires a re-examination with a proactive posture, and a new review of facts and evidence. This approach will always benefit a case’s chance for resolution. Here is a former homicide detective admitting this problem exists:

The ECCU will offer support to local law enforcement agencies and families where cold cases are not being proactively examined for resolution. ECCU will offer this support at no cost to a local law enforcement agency. The ECCU team will initially focus on the states of Georgia and South Carolina.

The Facts of Cold Cases and Missing Persons

  • More than 285,000 homicides remain unsolved in the US since 1980.
  • In 1965, 90% of homicides were cleared.
  • In 2017, 65% of homicides were cleared (the trend line is downward).
  • In 2017, 168,000 adults over age 18 were considered Missing.
  • In 2017, 464,000 Children under age 18 were considered Missing.
  • 10% of Missing Children are classified as “Lost” (deceased, sex trafficking).
  • 127 Children each day are considered “Lost”. Many of these are now Cold Cases.
  • National average is: 1 Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) / 44 Individuals.
  • There are 15,000 Law Enforcement Agencies in the US. Only 7% have Cold Case Units.
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