The number of unsolved murder cases in the Rockford area is on the rise.
This year nine of the 22 cases in Rockford are still open.
A number of factors add up to a case being unsolved because each situation can present unique challenges for investigators.
"Well if you've got a homicide or a murder we're still actively working on, and yet we haven't made any arrests related to the actual murder charge or charge related to the murder, that would make it unsolved," said Rockford Police Lieutenant Marc Welsh
With witnesses, leads and hard evidence such as license plate numbers or footage from security cameras, officials find it easier to pinpoint suspects and make arrests.
"But the cases where you just have a body that's found with no known witnesses are very difficult cases to work," says Winnebago County Deputy Chief for the Detective Bureau, Dominic Iasparro. "So you have to go back to the history of that's person's life to try to determine what it is that caused that person's death."
Officials say that cases in the Winnebago County and Rockford law enforcement systems don't go cold. Justice is consistently pursued so that families can receive closure and criminals are taken off the streets.
"The homicides that remain unsolved are assigned to different detectives throughout the investigative services bureau and we conduct regular follow-up on all leads that come into the police department," said Welsh.
Ongoing investigations use an extensive amount of time, detectives, and resources. Iasparro says that all funding to work on these unsolved homicides is taken from a general fund but money isn't a factor when dealing with them.
"The biggest cost is the man-power," he says. "The overtime expenses that are incurred. But that's not really an issue. The issue is trying to solve the case for the victim and the victims family."
