My mother was murdered 23 years ago this February. My parents were divorced and my dad was already remarried and living in another state. I was 4 at the time. The police know who murdered her cause he did it at her work with witnesses but he fled and they "never" found him. When she died I went to live with my dad and my 1/2 brother went to live with his.......our dads never kept us in contact and I never knew my brother or my mothers family until I got married and was old enough to find them myself, with no help of my dad or step-mom. Anyway, when I called the police station all they said was that they were not actively looking for him. Well I am 27 now and it has really impacted my ife and I need closure and I can't have it not knowing what happened to that man.......how can i go about getting the police to reopen her case and actively look for my mothers killer?
2006-12-11 09:50:08 · 12 answers · asked by Jen 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Its kind of hard for me to keep on top of this cause she was killed in New Orleans and I live in Indiana, all the way up by Chicago and it is hard for me to be on them for this...I tried America's Most Wanted but they weren't interested....
2006-12-11 09:57:55 · update #1
Well I am asking a cop because I want to know what they would suggest since they work in that line of work and probably know they best way for me to get this re-opened.
2006-12-11 09:59:20 · update #2
I had 85 Homicide Investigations in 10 years. If I found myself in your position, I would first contact the Police Department that initially handled the investigation and see if you can find out what they have on it. Use the freedom of Information Act if you have to.
Next, despite what others have written, Murder is not a Federal Offense unless it takes place on a Federal Reservation (I had one of those. Remember the two FBI Agents who were murdered in Wounded Knee?). Interstate Flight to avoid prosecution is a Federal Offense and you may be able to get the FBI involved via that route. If not, go for the fact that the murder violated her civil rights. It's a stretch but it might work. Check with the FBI Office closest to where the murder took place. There's been all sorts of break throughs in forensic investigations and you might luck onto an FBI guy who is looking for something like this he/she can sink their teeth into. Not all Agents are assigned to terrorism.
You might also contact your Congressman and see if that person can stir the pot for you.
2006-12-11 11:45:57 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
1
2016-06-10 11:49:34 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can start with a Freedom of Information Act request. As a government agency they are obligated to respond although they may edit some parts for privacy and other reasons (but especially if a juvenile offender was involved). You can file a lawsuit and get a judge to order the files opened. You can write your congressman/woman and ask for a congressional inquiry. You can make a formal complaint to the Internal Affairs of the police department. You can ask the city council for assistance.
Hope this helps. DZ
2006-12-11 09:56:10 · answer #3 · answered by Drop Zone 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would 1. contact the police dept for that town local. (usa)
if it is an open/unsolved case someone will still be assigned to that case. Find out who is assigned, ask nicely about it. ask what the status of the investigation is.
if this gets no responce, find out who the distric attorney is?
appeal to them.
if this gets no responce. then go to the media.
local and national.
dateline and other news shows love these type of cases.
it makes for good ratings.
it may sound callous but
the more attention the more likely the police will
re open the case.
please email me directly with the details and maybe I can help some more.
2006-12-11 10:07:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
relies upon on the branch. My vast city branch allowed you to take a detective try after 2 years on the activity. I surpassed. Then I waited 6 years for sufficient openings, not in homicide yet basically interior the detective branch, to open up. Then while i replaced into allowed into detective college I confident the administrative of detectives and the commander of the section i desired to artwork in that i may well be a stable homicide dick. on condition that they knew me and my stable recognition the commander asked me. fortuitously no politics interfered, like somebody with extra pull desiring the spot, because of the fact the section i wanted replaced into the worst interior the city with the main homicides. I made the blunders of staying a homicide detective for 11 years, could have moved directly to something else, and ended up with PTSD. basically an occasion. it fairly is in comparison to television, The hours are very long, the comments are longer and scrutinized for years at a time via a lot of folk, you hardly see your loved ones and get even much less sleep and you notice issues no human could could see.
2016-12-11 07:11:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would recommend several routes here: 1) Speak to your Congressmen and state reps too. Many love this stuff because it makes them look good. 2) Don't contact the police (except to get a copy of the case file). You need to contact the District Attorney (DA). Police don't usually open cold cases unless pressured to. 3) If 1 and 2 fail, contact LOCAL news. They NEED filler when there aren't good stories happening and "troubleshooter" teams are good at putting pressure on for you.
2006-12-12 18:20:38 · answer #6 · answered by Aegis 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that it is unlikely that you will convince the police to open a cold case like this without compelling new evidence. You could hire a private investigator (but this has significant costs).
I would caution you to the dangers of becoming obsessed with this search as you may never find the man. You should read Moby Dick and find closure by moving forward with your life.
"And he piled upon the whale's white hump, the sum of all the rage and hate felt by his whole race. If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it." -Herman Melville, Moby Dick.
2006-12-11 10:24:57 · answer #7 · answered by Nick B 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'm not a police officer but I believe that if there is an open warrant out for his arrest and you can locate him, you can have him arrested. A private investigator can probably locate him, or you might be able to find him by looking on-line, hope you find him
2006-12-11 10:03:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you tried calling America's Most Wanted? Sometimes they take cases from people calling in...
2006-12-11 09:52:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you know his name, you can hire a private investigator
But normally in cases like this, there is a warrant out for him, if he is ever stoped for a speeding ticket, or something like that, they will catch him then.
2006-12-11 10:26:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋