Posted on: Sunday, May 1, 2005

State gets 'cold cases' grant

Advertiser Staff

The U.S. Department of Justice has given the state a grant of nearly $800,000 to help solve "cold cases" and identify missing persons using DNA evidence.

The $790,276 grant covers a two-year period and is expected to be used by state and county law enforcement agencies to resolve unsolved homicides and disappearances. More than $14 million was awarded yesterday to 38 jurisdictions nationwide.

The money will be used to improve crime lab capacity, provide DNA training and post-conviction DNA testing, and conduct testing to identify mission persons, according to U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo.

The state attorney general's office has established a unit dedicated to resolving violent "cold cases" and missing-persons cases. The Justice Department money will be available to all participating law enforcement agencies, Kubo said.