Wendy Willems was eight years old when she vanished into thin air in Stabroek, Belgium in 1984.[1] Twenty-four days after her disappearance Wendy was found in the woods, strangled with a yellow plastic wire. Despite years of investigation in which multiple leads were pursued, Wendy’s death has remained unsolved. The case has already exceeded its statute of limitation, meaning that legal action can no longer be brought against the perpetrator. Unfortunately, Wendy’s case is not the only one that turned cold in the past decades.
When do we speak of a so-called “cold case”? It often involves an unresolved homicide or missing person case.[2] For example, in the Netherlands, a cold case is defined as an unresolved homicide or other serious crime punishable by a minimum term of twelve years imprisonment.[3] Surprisingly, this definition does not include a criterion regarding the time that elapsed since the crime was discovered. Belgium does not yet have a clear cold case definition, hampering the identification of such cases. Consequently, no statistics on the number and nature of Belgian cold cases are available at the moment.[4] Without these statistics it is difficult to gain insight into the magnitude of the problem, to fully understand the issues contributing to cold cases, and to effectively allocate resources to these cases.
Cold cases affect society as a whole
Contrary to what the name suggests, cold cases should not leave anyone cold. It is more than solving an old case, it is also about providing answers to families. Not only are close relatives of cold case victims left grieving the loss of their loved ones, but they are also troubled by the awareness that the perpetrator has not yet been identified nor held accountable.[5] Relatives of cold case victims can feel as if the police and judiciary have given up on them, as if the crime on their loved one has been forgotten and the search for the perpetrator abandoned.[6]
Besides the impact on close relatives, cold cases have a considerable impact on society in general. Cold cases leave their mark on society since unsolved murders in a community mean that those who have committed murder continue to roam free in that community.[7] Belgian Stephaan Du Lion, for example, was arrested in 2018 for the 1992 murder of Ariane Mazijn.[8] By reanalyzing DNA found on the murder weapon, Du Lion could be linked to the crime. After being confronted with the evidence, he not only confessed to the murder of Ariane Mazijn, Du Lion admitted to killing three more victims between 1993 and 1997. Solving (more) cold cases will provide long-awaited answers to relatives and prevent reoffending.
Prioritizing cold cases enables efficient deployment of the available capacity
To increase clearance rates, we need to pay more attention to cold cases and study how we best approach them. However, a lack of capacity and resources in both police forces and the judiciary[9] hamper cold case research in Belgium. Therefore, it is crucial to look for a way to optimize cold case investigations to use the available capacity as efficiently as possible.
Until present, cold cases are reopened for different reasons, such as inquiries from relatives, media, or police.[10] It can be difficult for the victim’s relatives to understand why “their” case remains closed. Police forces may prioritize high-profile media cases rather than cases where the chances of in fact solving the case may be higher. Evidence-based prioritization will increase the effectiveness of the investigations and thereby increase the number of cases that can be re-investigated and solved.[11] Furthermore, treating all cold cases equally, based on solvability, allows relatives to better understand why their case will or will not be reopened. However, the literature on this topic is limited, outdated, and mostly not supported by scientific data.[12] To enable evidence-based decision-making with regard to the reopening of cold cases, empirical research is needed to establish a scientific prioritization model.
There is a lot of progress to be made regarding the Belgian cold case approach, but establishing a formal definition, tracking statistics, and enabling evidence-based decision-making in reopening cold cases seem to be the most needed steps toward solving (more) cold cases. Perhaps, if Wendy’s case had been reviewed, a new clue might have surfaced that potentially could have led to her killer.
This blog post is written by Sara Taverniers. Sara works as a research assistant at the biomedical quality assurance research unit at the Faculty of Medicine of KU Leuven. In 2022, she graduated cum laude from KU Leuven, earning a master degree in Forensic Biomedical Sciences. Sara is pursuing a PhD in which she can combine her acquired forensic knowledge with a passion for police work.
Referenties
[1] HLN. COLD CASE. Achtjarige Wendy Willems verdwijnt na chirofeestje en wordt drie weken later vermoord teruggevonden. [Internet]. October 2021 [Visited on February 4, 2023]. Available from https://www.hln.be/hoogstraten/cold-case-achtjarige-wendy-willems-verdwijnt-na-chirofeestje-en-wordt-drie-weken-later-vermoord-teruggevonden-wendy-is-gevonden-dat-is-een-geluk-maar-geen-dader-of-motief-kennen-dat-doet-pijn~a9e79c87/ [2] Barcus H, Heurich C, Ritter N, Schwarting DE, Walton R. National Best Practices for Implementing and Sustaining a Cold Case Investigation Unit. NIJ; 2019. 133 p. [3] Openbaar Ministerie Nederland. Cold cases. [Internet]. [Visited on February 4, 2023]. Available from: https://www.om.nl/onderwerpen/cold-cases. [4] Taverniers S. Identificatie van factoren die kunnen bijdragen aan de optimalisatie van het prioriteren en heropenen van (c)old cases in België [Master’s thesis]. [Leuven]: KU Leuven; 2022. 136 p. [5] Wellman A, Borg M. Envisioning Justice: The Complex Journey of Cold Case Homicide Survivors. Violence and Victims. 2018; 33(6). [6] National Sherrif’s Association. Serving Survivors of homicide victims during cold case investigations: A guide for developing a law enforcement protocol. [Internet]. [Visited on February 7, 2023]. Available from: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/serving-survivors-homicide-victims-during-cold-case-investigations. [7] Collective Colorado. Sick and Grieving: The Toll of Unsolved Murders. [Internet]. May 2019 [Visited on February 8, 2023]. Available from: https://collective.coloradotrust.org/stories/sick-and-grieving-the-toll-of-unsolved-murders/ [8] HLN. Viervoudige moordenaar Stephaan Du Lion (57) nog dit jaar voor assisen. [Internet]. May 2022 [Visited on February 4, 2023]. Available from https://www.hln.be/antwerpen/viervoudige-moordenaar-stephaan-du-lion-57-nog-dit-jaar-voor-assisen~a2f1d54a/ [9] Taverniers S. Identificatie van factoren die kunnen bijdragen aan de optimalisatie van het prioriteren en heropenen van (c)old cases in België [Master’s thesis]. [Leuven]: KU Leuven; 2022. 136 p. [10] Ibid. [11] Davis RC, Jensen C, Kitchens KE. Cold-Case Investigations: An Analysis of Current Practices and Factors Associated with Successful Outcomes. Santa Monica (CA), VS: RAND Corporation; 2011. [12] Davidson NYA. Cold Case: Factors That Promote Case Solvability. Central European Management Journal. November 2022; 30(4): 1118-27.
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