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The brown bag lecture series “Investigating Cold Cases” is hosted by the USF Anthropology Department

Lecture series to focus on cold cases
[09.13.2010]

TAMPA, Fla. -- In an effort to strengthen the partnerships between the University of South Florida and Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies, a new lecture series began Friday, hosted by the Department of Anthropology at USF.

Members from various law enforcement agencies around Florida--including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs’ Office and the Temple Terrace Police Department--gathered with USF students and faculty to listen to the HCSO’s Maj. Harold Winsett give an overview of cold case investigations.

The lecture included the importance of investigating them, traits agencies look for in cold case team members and the problems investigators often face, such as lost or improperly stored evidence and fading witness memories.

“We don’t realize the significance of cold cases,” Winsett said. ”We get caught up in our everyday lives with crimes that occurred today or last week. Sometimes cold case investigators are the only voice that victim has.”

Forensic Anthropologist and USF Assistant Professor Erin Kimmerle hopes this lecture series brings together law enforcement agencies and the USF community to continue to strengthen resources for investigating cold cases, as well as help students make connections in their field.

“This gives students the opportunity to work with these professionals and learn more about the realities of their jobs,” Kimmerle said. “In past lecture series, students have made contacts for future internship and employment opportunities.”

Here is the lecture series schedule for the remainder of the semester:

Sept. 24: Interviewing the Witness in Unsolved Cases
Detective Chuck Massucci, of the Tampa Police Department, will delve into new interviewing strategies gleaned from work in Asaba, Nigeria where USF anthropologists have been collecting witness statements from the 1967 Nigerian Civil War in which hundreds of people were killed.

Oct. 8: Cold Cases and the Role of Anthropology
Investigator Brenda Stevenson of the St. Petersburg Police will give an overview of a 1969 cold case murder in St. Pete and what’s being done to resolve it. Erin Kimmerle will explain how anthropologists are lending a hand in the investigation.

Nov. 12: Unsolved Mysteries: Strategies & Evidence in Open Cases
Detective Eric Houston of the Tampa Police Department

Nov. 19: The Role of Forensics in Cold Case Investigations
Rayce Wilson from HCSO

Dec. 3: Prosecuting Cold Cases
Jay Pruner, J.D., 13th Judicial District, State Attorney’s Office

-USF-

Filed under:Arts and Sciences Anthropology    
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Author: Daylina Miller
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