Newspaper Article

COLD CASES ARE SOLVED WITH TEAMWORK AND DEDICATION

Kimmerle, Erin H

2015

Overview

Last year, we created the Institute for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science, or IFAAS, at USF to confront issues of missing, endangered, exploited and unidentified persons through applied scientific research. This effort is to raise awareness about the issue and build our capacity to provide more services. We are partnering with sheriffs, medical examiners, the Florida Sheriffs Association and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. But ultimately, successful cold case programs need the public's support and for our elected officials to understand what this program means to not just the local community, but to all Floridians. What is the scope of the problem? It's hard to say, as no agency tracks cold cases at the state level. It is estimated there are thousands in Florida. We know the number of open homicides in the Tampa Bay area is more than 500. Statewide, we have more than 850 unidentified persons. Many cases never had DNA testing, as was the case with [Janice Marie Young], before 2010. Cases also lack updated facial composites, chemical isotope testing or basic anthropological analysis to get reliable ancestry and age estimations.

• Publisher: Times Publishing Company