a year after the creation of the “Cold Case” centre, the families draw up a mixed assessment

a year after the creation of the Cold Case centre

A year ago, a national center dedicated to unsolved crimes emerged from the ground, at the Nanterre court. Nicknamed the “Cold Case” pole, it allowed the reopening of nearly 67 files for which the local investigators no longer had any leads. The families of victims welcome the initiative, but deplore a mixed record.

Disappearance, murder, serial crimes… Families have been waiting for answers for more than 30 years for some. The creation of the “Cold Case” division was a relief at first, but they are asking for more resources.

Some files are there, some are not. »

Gray hair cut to the square and glasses on the nose, his face is recognizable among a thousand as he has been publicized his last 25 years. Marie-Rose Blétry is the mother of Christelle, a young girl killed with 123 stab wounds in 1996. Now spokesperson for a victim’s association, she is happy with the creation of the Pole, but regrets certain dysfunctions. “ Some files are there, some are not. Judges do not have the power to bring them all together, whereas it would be important to bring them together geographically. For me, it’s a mixed picture. But I want to believe it “, she says.

The urgency of recruitment

Victims’ lawyer Didier Seban deplores, among other things, that there is no solid policy for collecting information. “ I am convinced that we could solve dozens of cases if we centralized this information by simply creating a website. Already, let’s start perhaps with the missing children, we would know how many there are already. And this information which would be given would be of a nature to make it possible to collect elements which could help the investigations for each of these children. he suggests..

Another urgency, the recruitment of investigators and examining magistrates to manage the thousands of unsolved crimes which would exist, according to their estimates.

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