YAKIMA, Wash.- The Yakima Police Department says since 1974, there are just shy of 70 cold case murders waiting to be solved.
In July of 2023, three retired police officers and a former judge have dedicated their lives in the Cold Case Unit to find answers to questions families of victims still have.
“A lot of times we’re still looking into these cases,” says YPD Lieutenant Chad Janis, “but we just haven’t had the time to sit down and call a family member and say ‘hey, you’re still important to us. We’re still working for justice for you.'”
The Cold Case Unit follows up on leads that went cold and try to find new witnesses or evidence.
Sometimes, part of the process is running old evidence through new technology.
“One advancement that has occurred in the last 20 years is how much DNA has advanced,” says Lt. Janis. “We can now do genealogy on some of these cases. The ability to develop a DNA profile is so much better today than it was even 10, 15 or 20 years ago.”
Nearly a year from its inception, the unit has yet to close a case, but that was to be expected.
The cases went cold because all leads had run out. But giving it another shot helps both the families affected and the detectives working them.
“As time goes by, you just get more work and more cases, so it was easy to systemically neglect these cold cases,” says Lt. Janis. “But they carry these cases with them throughout their career.”
The Cold Case Unit’s work to find answers has moved to include public feedback in hopes someone may know what happened.
Once a month, YPD posts to social media reviewing a cold case. In recreating the scene and talking to witnesses, the hope of finding someone with more information is the goal.
Lt. Janis says if a loved one is missing, to call police immediately. The idea of having to wait 24 hours is wrong and police can begin investigating as soon as a report is filed.
