Newspaper Article

DETERMINATION, TECHNOLOGY USED TO SOLVE COLD CASES

Kimmerle, Erin H

2016

Overview

A few days ago, we announced the identifications of two more missing boys from the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boysin Marianna. Loyd Dutton and Grady Huff died in 1918 and 1934, respectively. Dutton's identification came 98 years after his death and is remarkable for that reason. Many people, even some fellow scholars, told us these cases were too old to investigate, too old to find remains and far too old to get viable DNA samples. Another, more alarming message became clear:These cold cases were simply too old to invest in. Just a few decades ago, missing personreports were conspicuously not filed for many adults who went missing. Why? Because in many cases, authorities assumed the person was not missing at all but rather estranged, purposely relocating or restarting his or herlife. The missing often originated from at-risk groups such as children, runaways, abused women, the disabled, addicts and the homeless. In some cases, the very person who should have reported them missing was responsible for thedeath. In a review of more than 400 solved homicide cases in Hillsborough County, we found 77 percent of victims knew their killers (most commonly as friends/acquaintances, followed by boyfriend/girlfriend and less frequently spouses) and in 30 percent of cases bodies were moved or tampered with after death. In cases where the victims' bodies were moved to a secondary location or dumped (40 cases), they were almost twice as likely to be in the countythan in Tampa.

• Publisher: Times Publishing Company