Cyber Sleuths
Unsolved cases need people like you.
You do not need a badge or a degree. You need a laptop, some curiosity and an hour. Here are three ways to do real good for a victim and the family still waiting for answers.
Mission 1
Add a case so a victim is never forgotten
Every case page on Solve the Case is a public home for a victim: their story, their photo, the agency working it, and a way to send a tip. It does not take the family or law enforcement to start one. Anyone who knows about an unsolved case can give it a presence, starting with the cases in your own community.
How to do it
- Start close to home. Think about the cases people in your town still talk about, or the ones nobody talks about anymore.
- Dig through old newspapers and news coverage. Library archives and local news sites are full of cases that were never closed.
- Ask your law enforcement agency for its list of unsolved cases and outstanding missing persons. Most will share names and dates on request.
- If they will not, file an open records request for the names and dates only. You are not asking for case details, just who is still waiting.
- Add the case with what you have: name, date, location, agency, a photo and links to coverage. Our team reviews every submission.
Not sure if a case is already here? Search it on the browse page first.
Mission 2
Find the lead detective for a case that has none
When a case has no lead detective or contact email listed, tips and updates have nowhere to land. A single phone call can fix that. Ask the agency who is assigned to the case and which email should receive tips, then tell us. From then on, everything the public sends reaches the right desk.
How to do it
- Pick a case that needs a detective from the map or the browse list below.
- Call the agency's non-emergency line. The number is on every agency page.
- Ask who the lead detective is on the case, and which email address should receive tips and updates.
- Send us what you learn from the case page, or through the contact page. We update the case and route tips there.
“Hi, I am a volunteer with Solve the Case, a nonprofit that keeps unsolved cases visible online. Could you tell me who the lead detective is on the [name] case, and what email address tips should go to?”
Mission 3
Share a case. One post can change everything.
Cases get solved when the right person sees them. You never know who that is, or when they will scroll past. Every share puts a victim's face and story in front of new eyes, and one of them may hold the detail that opens an investigation.
How to do it
- Open any case page and use the share buttons, or copy the link.
- Post it where local people gather online: community groups, neighborhood pages, your own feed.
- Share again on the anniversary or the victim's birthday. Those dates bring memories back and get attention.
- Tag local news and reporters who covered the case. A fresh story reaches people a post never will.
- Keep it about the victim. Facts and the tip link, not theories or names of suspects.
Ground rules
Help in a way that helps.
Good sleuthing supports the investigation and respects the people living with the loss. A few things we ask of everyone.
Tips go through the tip form
Direct information belongs with the agency, where it is tracked and answered. Post it on the case page, not in a comment.
Theories go to the discussion
Every case has a forum thread. Ideas and questions are welcome there, where others can weigh in.
Never name a suspect publicly
Accusations online can hurt an innocent person and damage a real prosecution.
Let families come to you
Do not contact victims' families uninvited. If they want to talk, they will find the case page and the forums.
Stick to what you can verify
Link your sources when you add or update a case. Newspapers, court records and agency releases beat rumor.
Be kind, be patient
Cold cases move slowly. Consistent, respectful attention is worth more than a viral moment.
Pick one and start today.
Add a case, make a call, or share a story. Each one moves a case closer to an answer.
Questions or ideas? Contact us or start a thread in the forums.