National Cold Case Center Has Launched

The new organization provides investigative resources and forensic funding to help agencies solve cold cases.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Criminal Justice

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Veteran prosecutors and victims' families have launched the National Cold Case Center in Austin, Texas. The organization aims to assist law enforcement agencies nationwide by providing investigative expertise, forensic funding, and victim support.

Why it matters

Many law enforcement agencies lack the necessary funding, specialized technology, or staffing required to pursue long-term unsolved cases. This center serves to fill those resource gaps to help close cases and provide closure for families.

There are currently over 300,000 unsolved homicides in the United States and more than 1.3 million unmatched DNA profiles in the national CODIS database. Additionally, authorities estimate that at least 10 percent of the 14,000 sets of unidentified human remains nationwide are likely homicide victims.

The players

National Cold Case Center

This is a new nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, that provides forensic resources and investigative support to law enforcement agencies.

Robert Brashers

He was the individual identified in 2025 as the killer responsible for the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders.

The details

The National Cold Case Center offers roundtable reviews featuring experts in prosecution and forensics while providing on-call volunteer assistance to local departments. The nonprofit also plans to develop a national database that utilizes AI-powered pattern detection to identify potential connections across jurisdictions.

Four teenagers were killed in the Yogurt Shop Murders in 1991.
Robert Brashers was identified as the Yogurt Shop killer in 2025.
The National Cold Case Center launched on October 1, 2026.

Legal Context

The formation of the National Cold Case Center follows a pattern of increasing reliance on advanced forensic science to address decades-old crimes. This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between existing forensic repositories like the national CODIS database and the investigative capacity of local agencies.

The center provides 24/7 victim support services to help families navigate the often lengthy process of seeking justice for unsolved crimes. By facilitating better access to forensic tools for local agencies, the organization aims to increase the clearance rates of long-standing homicide investigations.

The takeaway

The creation of this center highlights the critical role that specialized forensic funding plays in modern law enforcement. Families and agencies now have a dedicated resource to help overcome the barriers that typically cause investigations to stall.