WASHINGTON, USA — There are thousands of murder and missing persons cases that are still unsolved in Washington state.
Of the homicide cases in Washington from 1965 to 2019, 28% are currently unsolved. That is nearly 3,000 cases. Almost half of them are in King County.
This is a portion of the staggering number of unsolved cases in the United States. According to Project Cold Case, there are currently approximately 270,000 unsolved homicides.
“It's just a scary thought when you think of all those people out there that have not been held accountable for their actions,” said Project Cold Case Founder Ryan Backmann.
There has also been a decline in the U.S. homicide clearance rate, according to Murder Accountability Project. That means the frequency of solving cold cases is trending downwards.
In 1965, the homicide clearance rate was 91%. In 2020, the rate was only 54%.
Backmann said there are many reasons the country is seeing the decline. He cited an increase in random acts of violence and a more transient society.
"[In the 60s], they were known relationships, victim and offender relationships. It was domestic violence, it was drunk neighbors, you know, it was feuds, but there was typically a known relationship between the offender and the suspect," Backmann said. "And nowadays, there's a lot more random acts, a lot more kind of code of silence, not coming forward when you have information or maybe taking justice in your own hands.”
Beckmann knows what it feels like to search for answers. His father was murdered in 2009 and his case is still unsolved.
"Next month will be 13 years since he was murdered. It's been looked at a couple of times and evidence has been tested and retested," he said.
However, with no leads, the case remains inactive.
What is a cold case?
A cold case involves a homicide or suspected homicide that no one has been charged and convicted for.
However, a case may not qualify as "unsolved" if there is evidence of guilt of the suspect, but they died before a trial. Another reason a case wouldn't qualify is if there was compelling evidence of guilt, but the original suspect was tried and acquitted or could not be prosecuted for technical reasons, according to the Department of Justice.
The Unsolved Northwest team will go through KING 5 archives and talk to victims' families and investigators to try to uncover the truth.
Missing person cases, murders and other mysteries are solvable. To submit a tip to the KING 5 Unsolved Northwest team, click here or fill out the form below.
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