Behind the Scenes of an Investigation: How We Research Cold Cases

When a cold case lands on our desk at Murder Creek Media, it's not just a story. It's a life interrupted, a family still waiting, and a call for justice that refuses to be silenced. We don't believe in "unsolvable". We believe in the power of relentless investigation, community, and a refusal to give up. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how we work to crack cases that others have long abandoned.

The First Step: Gathering Every Piece of Information We Can Find

Our investigations begin with a deep dive into every scrap of information we can uncover. That includes:

• News articles

• Obituaries

• Court transcripts

• Police reports (when available)

• Family and witness interviews

• Photos and videos

We don't just collect these materials - we dissect them. Every word, every date, every time inconsistency is a potential clue. We also research the context: what was happening in the area at the time? Was there political tension, organized crime activity, or social unrest that could have influenced events? This background can be critical for understanding what the official record leaves out.

Building the Timeline: Truth Lives in the Details

Once we've collected the available information, we map it out chronologically. Every major event, minor detail, and unexplained gap is placed on a timeline. Patterns start to emerge. We look for time gaps where no one can account for the victim's whereabouts, contradictions in witness statements, and periods were suspects' activities are suspiciously unclear. The timeline often reveals what traditional narratives obscure: a missing hour, an unlikely alibi, or a moment when everything went wrong.

Understanding the timeline of events is absolutely critical to our investigations - especially because many of the cases we cover are more than 30 years old. Memories fade, records get lost, and physical evidence deteriorates. To make our research as in-depth and accurate as possible, our team will often visit the original crime scenes, retrace travel routes the victim or suspects would have taken, and physically map out locations tied to the case. There's no substitute for standing where a victim last stood or driving the same roads late at night. It brings clarity that documents alone can't provide.

FOIA Requests

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests are one of our most powerful tools. The Freedom of Information Act, passed in 1966, is a federal law that grants the public the right to access records from any federal agency. It embodies the principle that the public has a right to know what its government is doing.

Through FOIA requests, we can obtain police reports, autopsy records, crime scene photographs, internal investigative notes, and more. What many people don't realize is that a cast amount of government-held information is available to the public - you just have to know how to ask for it. FOIA laws exist at the federal level and in most states as "sunshine laws," offering transparency into government operations.

However, gaining access isn't always free. Agencies often charge fees for record searches, duplication, and redaction. These costs can quickly add up, especially when investigating multiple cases at once. That's why donations are so crucial for our work. A $25 donation can cover the cost of a single FOIA request - a single document that could be the missing piece to solving a case.

FOIA work is slow, tedious, and sometimes met with resistance - but it's worth it. It's often where hidden truths are found.

Tracking Down Witnesses: The People Who Hold Pieces of the Puzzle

Memories fade, but they don't disappear. We work tirelessly to find witnesses who may have been overlooked, intimidated, or simply forgotten. Using a combination of public records searches, social media, genealogy tools, and even old-fashioned door-knocking, we reconnect with people who thought no one cared anymore. Often, a single new detail from a forgotten witness can blow open a stagnant case. We approach witnesses with empathy and respect - because in seeking the truth, compassion is just as important as evidence.

Investigating Suspects

When names start to surface, we dig deeper. We examine criminal histories, employment records, social ties, and behavioral patterns. We study how suspects moved through the world: their known associates, their habits, their red flags. We also compare them against known criminal patterns - because behaviors often reveal what words and alibis try to hide. Understanding a suspect's background helps us ask better questions, spot inconsistencies, and build pressure points that can reopen stagnant cases.

Working Together: Our Volunteer Team Makes It Possible

Our greatest strength isn't technology or tactics. It's our people. Our volunteer research team, spanning multiple states, brings unparalleled dedication, diverse perspectives, and an unstoppable commitment to truth. Each volunteer plays a specific role -whether it's legal research, public records searches, timeline building, data analysis, or witness outreach. We meet weekly over Zoom, share progress in real-time databases, and support each other through the highs and lows of casework. Our team believes that justice is a team sport - and that together, we are stronger than any wall of silence.

Why It Matters

Behind every cold case is a victim who deserves their story be heard - and a family who deserves answers. Behind every wrongful conviction is an innocent life destroyed - and a public interest betrayed.

We are not content to sit back and hope someone else solves it. We are the someone else.

Join Us

If you believe that truth matters, that justice demands action, and that no case is ever too cold to care about - we want you on our team. No experience required. Just courage, commitment, and a willingness to dig deep.

Help us find the answers that others missed.

Learn more about joining our Volunteer Case Research Team

Justice isn't passive. It's a movement. And it needs you.