Credit: The Cold Case Project of Monterey County
For the last three years, Monterey County’s (Calif.) Cold Case Task Force has actively investigated 45 violent crime cold cases where DNA evidence could likely be used to identify previously unidentified human remains. They have made remarkable progress, solving 13 cases and identifying 10 human remains, bringing closure to many families.
This work was funded by a $535,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance under a program designed to increase the capacity of state and local prosecution offices to address and close violent crime cold cases.
Now, with more than 600 unsolved homicides in the county still, the federal grant money has been exhausted.
Luckily, community members have stepped in to ensure the work continues. A nonprofit— The Cold Case Project of Monterey County—has been created to help raise funds to continue investigations when the federal funding officially runs out in October.
The organization has established a fund through the Community Foundation for Monterey County, giving local residents, businesses and supporters the opportunity to directly contribute to solving cold cases. The funds will be used to pay labs directory for testing. Cold cases that need DNA analysis work can cost upward of $15,000.
“Behind every cold case is a human story—a family, a community, a victim whose life mattered,” said Ann Kern, Board President of The Cold Case Project of Monterey County. “We can’t let funding gaps determine whether a case is solved. Every life deserves justice, and that’s why we’re here.”
The new organization has already set up a portal for local law enforcement agencies to submit requests for funding to help with a specific unsolved case. A panel of law enforcement experts that are part of the Cold Case Project team will review each request, then forward all approved cases to the Project’s Board of Directors. If approved, the Project will provide payment to the specific lab or other entity, which will collaborate with the law enforcement agency to complete the investigation.
In addition to unsolved homicides, The Cold Case Project of Monterey County will also fund investigative leads on long-term missing persons, unsolved sexual assaults and Unidentified Human Remains (UHR) cases in the County. According to the nonprofit, there are 38 long-term missing people in Monterey County, dozens of unsolved sexual assaults and over 50 cases of UHRs dating back to the 1960s.
The all-volunteer nonprofit is headed by Kern, a dedicated community member who became a volunteer with the DA’s cold case task force in 2023. The board also includes Secretary Bill Clark, a seasoned peace officer with over 35 years of experience in investigating and solving cold cases, and Treasurer Michael Bruno, a former detective who worked extensively in major crime investigations before advancing to leadership roles, where he supervised a detective bureau and directed a local violence and narcotics task force. Dave Hober, the Chief of Police for the Monterey Police Department, is also on the board, in addition to Matthew L’Heureux is an Assistant District Attorney with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
"When we solve a cold case, we don't just find answers that have been too long in coming; we restore hope," said Bruno. "We need the community's help to keep this vital work going."
“We may never know how many more lives can be saved by solving a single case,” concluded Clark. “This work isn’t about the past—it’s about protecting the future.”