There’s More To The Story
Sydney Pacha, Season of Justice Development Manager
September 2025
Cold cases are often highlighted in a 60-minute episode of a television show, maybe a full season of a podcast, or in a few minutes in news casts. While the majority of these platforms and creators have the best intentions of creating awareness and sparking renewed interest, they very rarely are able to communicate the breadth and gravity of cold case investigations.
There is so much more to the stories of each of these cases, their investigations, and the life and impact of the victims missing or lost. As we enter September, National Cold Case Month at Season of Justice, we want to share a few reminders regarding cold case resolution:
1. Nothing is Simple
The human brain diligently works to simplify complex things. One common way we do this is through “heuristics,” which are mental shortcuts that allow an individual to make a decision, pass judgment, or solve a problem quickly and with minimal mental effort. (Psychology Today). The most common shortcuts revolve around things being familiar (familiarity heuristic) or the number of examples of instances that come readily to mind(availability heuristic). While these shortcuts serve humankind well for making decisions quickly, they don’t always lend themselves to fully understanding more complex and nuanced circumstances. Additionally, they can allow for the direct impact of cognitive biases, which involve interpreting situations based on personal points of view and experiences, and therefore can affect objectivity.
Processes like advanced DNA testing and Forensic Genetic Genealogy are not simple processes, and are typically unfamiliar to the average person, which makes it more challenging to find an accurate solution using our brain’s shortcuts.
It is also important to acknowledge that complicated processes produce complicated results; for instance, we can reflect on the concept of a DNA “hit or match”, a phrase commonly heard on the news and in television dramas alike. When a DNA profile is obtained from a known individual that is consistent with the unknown profile recovered from evidence at a crime scene, the sample is considered an “inclusion,” which means that the individual cannot be excluded as a possible source of DNA found. Results will be communicated with a numerical value of the rarity of the particular set of genetic information in various populations. DNA results can never provide 100% certainty that the DNA belongs to a specific individual. (National Institute of Justice)
2. “Just” Doesn’t Exist
After reading an article, a social media post, or listening to a podcast, a lot of people may think or state that investigators should “just” do DNA testing, or a particular case could be solved if they “just” utilize forensic genetic genealogy, or “we all know who did it” they “just” need to make an arrest. As we work toward the lawful resolution of cold cases, it is essential to acknowledge that there is no “just”. DNA testing may not be viable in a case due to the age and storage of evidence, or it may simply be out of the budget of the investigative agency. Not every case has the necessary genetic information to complete forensic genetic genealogy. Even if the necessary profile and funding are produced, it does not guarantee a “match” will be found, as profiles can remain in databases for years without yielding results. When making arrests, it is crucial to recognize that information does not equate to evidence. Making an arrest is a serious and life-changing event, so it is necessary that all proper procedures are followed and that physical evidence is found to corroborate information that is provided by individuals close to the investigation. The justice system only functions by maintaining the standards that have been set as the rule of law. All of these things take time and require patience to ethically accomplish.
3. Finding Hope and Justice is a Group Effort:
The most important thing we want you to remember this month is that cold cases cannot be solved by one person. The media often attributes success to labs that yield DNA results or genealogists who produce family tree connections, while overlooking the intricate web of effort and support that has gone into achieving those results.
When a case is open for decades, there are hundreds of people, if not more, who touch the case or are affected by the tragedy. Not only does this include the family of the victim who calls the police department weekly, the initial investigators who collected the evidence from the scene, any investigator who has opened the case file in the years following, the public lab technicians, the private lab technicians, and genealogists, but it also touches the community where it occurred, the people who listen to a podcast or watch an episode of popular programs, and those that choose to take action by supporting programs like that of Season of Justice. Resolution cannot be found by one individual; it requires the collaboration of various systems and communities to make resolution possible.
Collaboration is not the only thing needed to find resolution; tenacity and dedication are also required from everyone previously mentioned. It takes time and patience to investigate these cases with integrity, it takes time for technology to develop and become more sensitive to make evidence viable, and it takes time to develop cases that will result in convictions of guilty offenders. All of these things, in turn, must be rooted in hope and faith that the systems work and continue to operate thanks to the relentless efforts of all involved. When there are gaps in the system, like funding and technology, we band together to fill them because it truly takes a village to provide justice for victims and hope and answers for their loved ones.
With gratitude,
Sydney
Sources
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/heuristics
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/dna-evidence-basics-possible-results-testing