ABILENE, Texas — Abilene Police Department recently stated they have solved a murder that was declared a cold case after 41 years.
There are hundreds of cases that go cold each year, but what makes it a cold case, and how do detectives solve them?
Cold Case Detective Jeff Cowan says it has a lot to do with new technology.
Susanna Flores Brown and her eight-year-old daughter, Francesca Martinez, were murdered in 1982. It’s a case that went cold 41 years ago.
But now, thanks to DNA technology, a suspect has been found.
“Cold cases are cold for a reason,” said Detective Cowan. “They’re cold because there’s a lack of evidence and just information out there.”
Detective Cowan says that DNA technology started being used in 1986 and there are certain steps to take when revisiting a cold case.
“Go look at what evidence we have. Start finding out what was done in the case, and basically retracing the steps that were taken by the original investigators,” said Detective Cowan.
When using DNA testing to solve cases, detectives sometimes have to make hard decisions.
“Once you test certain items, and burn your evidence up, it’s down and out, never spoken about again,” said Detective Cowan. “But maybe if you need to wait six months and then move forward, then so be it.”
Detective Cowan tells us that, most of the time, the suspect is found in the original report. But with new DNA technology, it could be a different story.
“The old ’05 case that we solved, that’s not the case,” said Detective Cowan. “They were not known, this was a straight-up whodunnit but through DNA technology we were able to figure out who these individuals were.”
Not all cold cases rest solely on DNA testing, though. No matter how old the cases are.
“DNA gets you places, but you still have to do the leg work to solidify the case,” said Detective Cowan.
Detective Cowan recognizes that not all cases will be solved, but there are other reasons why he pushes until the end.
“Knowing that potentially, you’re not going to solve every one, and that’s the reality. The ones that you do solve, is what keeps you moving forward” said Detective Cowan.
If you have any information about any case, APD urges you to contact the Abilene Crime Stoppers by calling 325 676-TIPS or going online.