News

When the Illinois State Police (ISP) Investigation Zone 6 Command Staff sought to organize and analyze real homicide case files for the purpose of inviting renewed investigation of cold cases, they turned to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Trish Oberweis, PhD.

Oberweis, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Criminal Justice Studies, has worked with investigators to create an opportunity for SIUE criminal justice and forensics students to learn about homicide investigation from the inside.

For Oberweis’ students, this is a major learning opportunity since cold cases are investigations that are incomplete and are not being actively pursued.

“No offender has yet been brought to justice for any of a variety of reasons, and the cases have gone stale,” noted Oberweis. “Sometimes this is due to normal institutional change, such as reassignment or retirement of personnel. Other times, it can be as simple as slow information exchange, and while the case is waiting for a response, it slips in priority as new cases pile on top of it.

“One of the greatest challenges can be convincing fearful or mistrustful community members to aid the police in their efforts to charge someone with the crime,” continued Oberweis. “Without witness support, charges may be unrealistic. The problem is considerable nationwide, with more than 250,000 cold homicide cases in the US, many of which are decades old.”

Collaborating with ISP officers Abigail Keller and Mike Lewis, SIUE students trawl through the data and prioritize investigations based on which cases are closest to an arrest.

“After completing an online training program, our students go to the Illinois State Police Zone 6 headquarters and receive the folders or boxes of reports and case documents,” said Oberweis. “In their workstation at the ISP headquarters, students work to organize the documents and materials that are available and request any outstanding reports or items to make the file as complete as possible.  Students then analyze the case with regard to what additional investigative work might help advance the case, based on the training they received before being assigned a case. They also make recommendations, which become a part of the quickstart guide called a ‘Murder Book.’” 

Oberweis’ leadership ensures that the students’ work is efficient and effective to make it easier for investigations to quickly resume and proceed.

“We are building the bridge from the original investigative work to new, renewed investigation by creating a uniform presentation for every case that serves as a quickstart guide to the investigation,” explained Oberweis. “We map the prior work, assess the case for probability of closure – ideally meaning that someone is arrested and charged for the crime – and suggest the next investigative follow-up steps in a very short, carefully organized summary. We then present the rest of the case in an organized, easy-to-access format, removing one of the significant barriers to case development.”

Decades-old cases that depend on technological advancements, such as DNA testing are also being reassessed.

Though the program is in its initial phases, students have already recorded a handful of minor successes in which homicide investigations have been closed for administrative reasons.

“We also have seen several cases return to more active levels of investigation, particularly for new lab analyses,” said Oberweis. “These cases will take more time as witnesses are tracked down, as physical evidence is retested, and so on.”

Having taught at SIUE for more than 20 years, working on this program has allowed Oberweis to reconnect with some of her former students, who have long been working with the ISP.

“For many students, as well as myself, this experience has elevated my appreciation for load that violent crime investigators carry with them at all times,” said Oberweis.

“The Cold Case Program has allowed us to better understand the day-to-day life of the agents working in our area,” said one of Oberweis’ students Emma Fromme, a senior criminal justice studies major. “We get a glimpse of not only how an investigation works in real time, but also the complications that may come with it. Students have learned specifically what to look for in evidence, crime scene photos and interviews. Understanding how an investigation works is beneficial for any career in the criminal justice system.”

Strictly private, the ISP provides SIUE students with rare and profound insight into the gravity of the search for justice. Oberweis hopes that the initiative will feed into a similar statewide program.

Photo: Trish Oberweis, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Criminal Justice Studies.