Trine students to assist FWPD with cold cases

Area unsolved cases are getting new sets of eyes.

Trine University, in partnership with the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD), launched a Cold Case Unit this semester. It’s the first such university-based unit in the state of Indiana.

“We are proud to pioneer this initiative and endorse the police practitioner relationship with our students,” said Erica Hutton, Ph.D., director of the Cold Case Unit and assistant professor of criminal justice at Trine.

“There are so many benefits to this program, and we are grateful to the Fort Wayne Police Department for partnering with us. It gives our students the opportunity to work alongside seasoned law enforcement officials and not only learn but implement criminal investigative techniques. And it gives victims’ families, some of whom have been waiting for decades, the opportunity to find closure and justice.”

An investigative team of five Trine University students is working in a dedicated space on Trine’s Angola campus to organize and catalog evidence to assist FWPD detectives with investigative efforts. Students will dissect and assemble material pertinent to assigned cases while aiming to add evidence to the data on file with the police department.

Detective Brian Martin with FWPD welcomes the partnership, stating, “Another set of eyes on any unsolved investigation can be advantageous in many ways. Younger populations have different skills within the digital realm and that knowledge can be supportive and meaningful for us to consider.”

FWPD partnership

The Fort Wayne Police Department is excited for this new partnership with Trine University. 

Cold cases are unsolved criminal investigations, which remain open pending the discovery of new evidence.  The newly formed Unit would assist FWPD’s Homicide detectives with finding this evidence to potentially bring closure to these open homicide cases.

Chief Scott Caudill is excited about the partnership, stating, “This is a mutually beneficial partnership: the students get to work alongside some of the best, experienced, homicide detectives and we get a Cold Case Unit of highly motivated, intelligent students to comb through cases from an entirely different perspective”. 

The FWPD understands that the victims' families struggle with closure when homicide cases go unsolved and want to use all available resources to solve crime; and hopefully, help find some closure and peace of mind for the families. 

Team of 5 students

Trine students making up the Cold Case Unit for the 2024-25 school year are: Taylor Colvin, a Psychology major from Macon, Georgia; Akilah Guthrie, a Forensic Science, Biology and Chemistry major from Anderson, Indiana; Gracie Schoof, a Criminal Justice major from Corunna, Indiana; Blake Roose, a Criminal Justice major from Milford, Indiana; and Nathaniel Bradshaw, a Computer Science and Information Technology major also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from New Paris, Indiana.

Schoof said she joined the Cold Case Unit as a way to branch out and see a different aspect of the criminal justice System.

“I wanted to be a part of something new and inspiring to those who follow in our footsteps,” she said.

“I joined the Cold Case Unit to apply and advance my knowledge in forensics, especially in regard to criminal activity,” Guthrie said. “I am eager to showcase my skills and further my career opportunities upon graduation. I am interested in the practitioner skills that investigators employ to tackle complex crime scene investigations and hope to gain insight in this endeavor.”

The unit will be an ongoing effort with the opportunity for students from any major to apply each year.

Mentored by Michigan program

Hutton said Trine’s Cold Case Unit has received valuable mentorship from Ashlyn Kuersten, Ph.D., director of the Cold Case Unit at Western Michigan University.

Since its launch in 2020 in partnership with the Michigan State Police, Western Michigan’s unit has assisted with 28 cold cases, two of which have been solved.