https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Safety


Bringing closure to cold cases

Bringing closure to cold cases

In an effort to clear cold cases, the Milwaukee County, Wis., Medical Examiner's Office has created a website that displays images of the deceased.
  • Written by Michael Keating
  • 20th February 2013

In an effort to clear cold cases, some stretching back 40 years or more, the Milwaukee County, Wis., Medical Examiner’s Office is taking a bold step.

To try to find out the name of unidentified corpses, police have traditionally posted clay models or artist drawings — and more recently, digital reconstructions — of unidentified persons. The police hoped that a friend, relative or loved one might recognize the deceased and help police identify them.

Milwaukee County has gone a step further and is displaying actual and retouched photos and digitally enhanced images of the deceased on a website. More than a dozen cold cases are outlined and displayed on the site, which went live in Dec. 2011. Caution: some of the images are quite graphic.

The cold cases on the Milwaukee medical examiner’s site date back to 1970, says Michael Simley, a forensic investigator at the medical examiner’s office who designed the site for unidentified corpses. “We are trying to bring new life to these cases by putting them online, because at this point, we are desperate to get the people identified. It doesn’t do them justice to bury them without a name. And regarding their families, to leave them wondering what happened to their friends or loved ones—it just doesn’t sit right with me,” Simley told Govpro.com

Simley has reached out to national resources, such as the federal NamUs National Missing and Unidentified Persons database for help in solving some of the Milwaukee cold cases. “I entered all of these cases into the federal government website, and once you do that, you are eligible for free DNA testing which we have done on some of the cases now,” said Simley.

The NamUs database, which contains more than 8,000 cases, is searchable by sex, race, body features, dental information and other characteristics. The site is funded through a grant from the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

Simley says the public’s response to the site has been positive. “I’ve been getting e-mails from the public saying this is a great idea, that this information should be out there for people—I’ve not gotten negative feedback from the public. Other coroners and medical examiners have given the site rave reviews.”

Cold-case information has been flowing into the medical examiner’s office as a result of the deceased victims’ site, says Simley. “As of right now the Milwaukee County Unidentified Persons website has not produced a positive identification on anybody at this time. I have received numerous tips and leads that I have followed up on, but with no results yet.” Techniques learned through the website, added Simley, have helped the medical examiner’s office determine the identity of the remains of at least one recently deceased individual.

Tags: News Public Safety

Most Recent


  • MSPs
    The MSP downstream cyberthreat paradox: Understanding the city and county connection
    Recently the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) along with the FBI, NSA, and international cyber authorities issued a cybersecurity advisory aimed at protecting managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers. This high-level advisory has been gestating for some time ever since the SolarWinds and Kaseya supply chain cyber-attacks. A software supply chain attack occurs […]
  • Philanthropic group to launch assistance portal for local admins navigating federal bureaucracy
    A joint venture announced Tuesday by a group of philanthropic organizations—in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities (NLC) and Results for America—seeks to help small and mid-sized communities secure their piece of the $550 billion in funding available for local governments navigating federal bureaucracy. The digital portal will launch […]
  • Report: Nearly 95 percent of America's mayors face harassment, threats and violence
    In today’s divided socioeconomic landscape—one that’s rife with political angst—harassment of mayors has become commonplace, especially against minority leaders. Women mayors and mayors of color face more frequent and acute incidents of harassment and violence, according to new research from the advocacy organizations Equity Agenda and the Mayors Innovation Project. Nearly half of all women mayors […]
  • Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don't touch their retirement plans for a decade
    Once retired, nearly half of public sector employees aren’t taking any action with their defined contribution retirement plan funds for at least a decade, according to research from Mission Square Research Institute, which included the analysis of more than 100,000 public service data records. In their first ten years of retirement, researchers found that 48 […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing
  • California city combines advanced technology with dedicated public safety team for comprehensive emergency management
  • 10 tactical modifications for healthier public facilities

White papers


The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media

16th May 2022

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet

16th May 2022

Arizona Arts Center Meets Rapid Deadline with Hundreds of Thousands in Savings

26th April 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Minor league baseball is helping cities hit a revitalization home run dlvr.it/SQc5N4

18th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council can help governments get up to speed on sustainable buys dlvr.it/SQbwqL

18th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The MSP downstream cyberthreat paradox: Understanding the city and county connection dlvr.it/SQYVjs

17th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Philanthropic group to launch assistance portal for local admins navigating federal bureaucracy dlvr.it/SQY16G

17th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Nearly 95 percent of America’s mayors face harassment, threats and violence dlvr.it/SQTn2z

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media dlvr.it/SQTdCK

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet dlvr.it/SQSqXG

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don’t touch their retirement plans for a decade dlvr.it/SQKMjp

13th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X