Solving Cold Cases With DNA
Several law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, and crime labs across the country have established innovative programs to review old cases. Often called "cold case units," these programs have enabled criminal justice officials to solve cases that have languished for years without suspects. Most frequently, DNA evidence has been the linchpin in solving these cases. For instance, this past July a California man was found guilty of the 1974 rape-homicide of a 19-year-old pregnant woman—a case that was solved through DNA evidence nearly 30 years after the crime was committed.
Under this program, the National Institute of Justice has funded states and units of local government for funding to identify, review, and investigate "violent crime cold cases" that have the potential to be solved using DNA analysis and to locate and analyze biological evidence associated with these cases.
Cold Case Funding: Awards by State
Note: No awards under this program were made in 2006.
- Sort the table by selecting any column head. Sort multiple columns by holding down the shift key and clicking additional columns.
- Select a state name to see funding broken out by jurisdiction for that state.
| State | 2005 | 2007 | 2008 | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $136,947 | $0 | $486,761 | $623,708 |
| Alaska | $0 | $0 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Arkansas | $48,175 | $0 | $0 | $48,175 |
| Arizona | $1,163,334 | $842,710 | $1,054,142 | $3,060,186 |
| California | $4,514,096 | $773,870 | $5,522,180 | $10,810,146 |
| Conecticut | $205,701 | $0 | $0 | $205,701 |
| Florida | $1,443,280 | $794,657 | $1,098,838 | $3,336,775 |
| Georgia | $714,150 | $0 | $0 | $714,150 |
| Hawaii | $790,276 | $0 | $0 | $790,276 |
| Illinois | $455,301 | $899,555 | $0 | $1,354,856 |
| Indiana | $789,470 | $500,000 | $0 | $1,289,470 |
| Iowa | $0 | $0 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Kansas | $342,060 | $0 | $80,000 | $422,060 |
| Kentucky | $0 | $0 | $422,423 | $422,423 |
| Louisiana | $263,200 | $263,200 | $499,995 | $1,026,395 |
| Massachusetts | $500,000 | $0 | $245,333 | $745,333 |
| Maryland | $771,783 | $0 | $887,866 | $1,659,649 |
| Maine | $250,349 | $0 | $0 | $250,349 |
| Michigan | $0 | $1,000,000 | $213,575 | $1,213,575 |
| Minnesota | $0 | $759,977 | $494,433 | $1,254,410 |
| Missouri | $97,385 | $497,115 | $399,880 | $994,380 |
| Nebraska | $226,098 | $0 | $189,092 | $415,190 |
| New Jersey | $0 | $438,615 | $0 | $438,615 |
| New Mexico | $75,014 | $0 | $0 | $75,014 |
| New York | $64,929 | $0 | $0 | $64,929 |
| North Carolina | $0 | $310,800 | $197,245 | $508,045 |
| Ohio | $661,878 | $500,000 | $0 | $1,161,878 |
| Oregon | $0 | $0 | $257,316 | $257,316 |
| Pennsylvania | $0 | $969,250 | $585,678 | $1,554,928 |
| South Carolina | $196,112 | $0 | $124,040 | $320,152 |
| South Dakota | $233,559 | $0 | $0 | $233,559 |
| Texas | $179,364 | $198,581 | $1,251,814 | $1,629,759 |
| Washington | $0 | $0 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Wisconsin | $122,692 | $0 | $499,989 | $622,681 |
| Totals | $14,245,153 | $8,748,330 | $16,010,600 | $39,004,083 |
