Cold-case families suffer twice, CSU study shows

The Coloradoan - CO, USA

Cold-case families suffer twice, CSU study shows

BY SARA B. HANSEN • SaraHansen@coloradoan.com • August 16, 2009

A new study completed by the Center for the Study of Crime and Justice at CSU reveals families of cold-case victims suffer twice — when they lose a loved one to vio-lence and again when the case goes unsolved.

Howard Morton, executive director of the non-profit Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, contacted the Center for the Study of Crime and Justice to study the “co-victims” — family members and friends of cold-case homicide victims.
The study is the first of its kind and Colorado State University was honored to conduct it, said Prabha Unnithan, sociology professor and director of the Center for Crime and Justice.
The study, which involved interviewing 40 co-victims from 10 law enforcement jurisdictions over nine months, revealed an average of 14 years had elapsed since loved ones had suspiciously disappeared or been murdered. (more...)