A cold case is an unsolved homicide (murder or manslaughter) or a very serious offense that carries a minimum prison sentence of 12 years. Van Wely says that there are about 1770 cold cases on the shelf in the Netherlands. In the past 5 years, 32 cases have been resolved. “I don’t think that’s very much,” says the crime journalist. “The relatives also think that more can be done.”
How come there are so few? Each police unit is set up differently, says Van Wely. But what does happen everywhere is that people are removed from the cold case team as soon as there is a staff shortage. “While continuity is just so important with cold cases. It’s painstaking work.” It concerns serious crimes, and according to the crime journalist it therefore has a major social impact. “I think you should strive to make the mountain of cold cases less high.”
Importance for relatives is great
Van Wely worked on the case of the murder of Monique Roossien for 10 years, together with the victim’s sister. “Thanks to a detective, the case from 2003 received more attention. A serial killer was convicted last year. You can see what that does to relatives.” The crime journalist says that he had good contact with the victim’s sister throughout the trial. “She recently called me overjoyed to say that she now has her whole life back on track.”
New techniques
Ferd Grapperhaus, when he was Minister of Justice and Security, took a number of steps to better solve cold cases. Such as digitizing files, engaging more volunteers, and setting up the cold case calendar. “Things have improved,” says Van Wely. “But it is too easy to convert: we rely on technology. It ultimately starts with good investigative work. Top people must be included in a cold case team.”
New techniques make a very big difference, says DNA expert Lex Meulenbroek. He explains that enormous progress has been made at all levels of DNA technology. “Searching and finding traces can be much more extensive and we can now obtain better profiles from difficult traces. Where it was not possible a few years ago, it suddenly works.”