In 2021, I started Unsolved R.I. to raise awareness about the issue of unsolved cold cases across the state of Rhode Island. My fight began with my own mom's unsolved cold case but quickly expanded to encompass all unsolved deaths. Unfortunately, there are many families in RI waiting for justice. Speaking on behalf of my family and others, as well as advocates in this space, we strongly believe there is a critical need for a statewide cold case unit.

In December 2022, the RI Office of the Attorney General (AG) requested an additional $349,960 in its next fiscal budget to create a four-person cold case unit in the office's criminal division. 

In January 2023, RI Governor Dan McKee released a proposed $13.8 million budget that included increases for many other departments, but did not approve the increase requested by the AG's office to implement this necessary unit. Further, a spokesperson for the Governor suggested that RI State Police has a team that works on cold cases in collaboration with the AG's Office.

In response to this claim, Brian Hodge, a spokesperson for the AG's Office stated that, while it's true the state police do support unsolved cases, this is not what they are seeking. In a recent Providence Business News article, Hodge said, "There is no cold case unit. There is not a team dedicated to this. Any assertion or implication that there is a cold case unit is just wrong." 

To expand on this statement, it is unreasonable to expect local and state law enforcement officers to tackle the cold case crisis without dedicated support. Their workloads simply do not allow for the time needed to devote to solving these crimes. 

Many other states, including neighboring Massachusetts, have implemented cold case units that are seeing great results. Using the latest technology and trained, dedicated experts, the Bristol County District Attorney-sponsored unit solved five rape cases and multiple homicides in 2022 alone. In 2021, new analysis of DNA evidence led to solving a 1991 murder. We need to see these same results here in RI.

This petition seeks the Governor's support to amend the 2023 budget to include the $349,460 increase necessary to establish a statewide cold case unit through the RI AG's Office. We should not have to wait another year for our victims to be considered a priority. 

Unsolved R.I., Uncovered, Cold Case Advocacy, the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute and other groups have all offered support for the AG's efforts. In 2022, Othram offered to review all unsolved RI cases for free to assess solvability through their groundbreaking DNA testing technology. 

While this petition matters most to the families impacted by these unsolved cases, it is important for all RI residents — and beyond. By reducing the backlog of unsolved violent crimes, we can begin to curb modern crime and make our community a safer place for all. 

Please sign and share to support.