Cold Case Unit

History of the Unit

In 2005, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office developed a Cold Case Unit to review cases that have not been solved. There are over 28 unsolved homicide cases that have occurred in Coconino County that are being reviewed by the Cold Case Unit. Some of these cases date back to 1955 when many forensic tools were unavailable for investigations.

Goal


The goal of the Cold Case Unit is to be able to state with confidence that everything that could be done to try to solve a case either is being done or has been done. Whenever possible, evidence from these cases will be re-examined using the newest scientific methods.

List of Cold Cases in Coconino County

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Staff

All members of the squad are volunteers. Members of our Cold Case Squad bring much expertise with them from their careers:
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • Department of Public Safety (DPS) Investigations
  • DPS Crime Lab
  • Forensic Nursing
  • Courtroom Proceedings and Judgments
  • Crime Scene Investigations
  • National Park Service Law Enforcement
  • And many other specialties

Photo Courtesy of Jake Bacon, AZ Daily Sun

Cold Case Unit personnel - AZ Daily sun photo

Example of a Cold Case


One of the more prominent cases being worked by the Cold Case Squad is known as the “Devil Dog Doe Case.” This case is the homicide of a female who was discovered off of Devil Dog Road, west of Williams in October 2003. One of the first goals of the squad is to identify the Jane Doe victim, also known cordially as “Devil Dog Doe.” Efforts to identify her have included numerous interactions with law enforcement agencies both nationally and internationally. The case and an artist’s rendition of the victim have been publicized in the Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Sun as well as on websites such as the National Center for Missing Adults, the Doe Network, and America’s Most Wanted. With the assistance of the Violent Crime Analysis Unit of the FBI, this was the first homicide case to be published in the Academy of General Dentistry. Chemical analyses point to possible regions in which the victim may have resided. While this case has produced many promising leads, the identity of the victim remains unknown.

Artists Reconstruction of Jane Doe found near Devil Dog Road