Cold Cases
There are currently hundreds of unsolved homicides, missing persons, and unidentified human remains “Cold Cases” in Utah. Additional cases need tips or investigative leads to prevent them from going cold. All are accepted into the Utah Cold Case Database. Case information is compiled so agencies can work together to further investigations. A public facing side provides the non-protected case details and encourages tips from the public.
Utah Senate Bill 160 (2018) requires all law enforcement agencies in Utah to enter specific cold cases into that database if unsolved for three (3) years or more. The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) manages the database via the Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC), and Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI).
The development of the database was a collaborative effort between DPS, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Salt Lake City Police Dept., Unified Police Department, the Chiefs and Sheriffs Associations, the Utah Cold Case Coalition, Statewide Association of Prosecutors, and others.
Our Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) hosts the Cold Case Database, while our Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC) updates case information. Following legislation that took effect on July 1, 2018, the SIAC assigned a dedicated employee to work with local agencies, providing training on using and updating the database. After an initial year of comprehensive training, we now reach out to local agencies annually for case updates and continue encouraging corrections or new information. While the database is a central resource, local agencies retain ownership of the cases and are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their data. Families are also encouraged to contact us if they notice missing or incorrect information, allowing us to verify and update it with the respective local agency.
Law enforcement agencies wanting to add a case to the database can contact Kathy Mackay at kmackay@utah.gov. For website questions contact mmartinez@utah.gov or ovaisima@utah.gov.
Cold Case Tip Hotline: 833-DPS-SAFE (833-377-7233)