For decades, cold cases have been among the most frustrating and heartbreaking challenges in law enforcement. Files sit untouched, leads go cold, and families are left waiting, sometimes for generations, for answers that never come. But a new wave of technology is beginning to change that reality.
Through a collaboration between Veritone and the Cold Case Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that focuses on helping law enforcement solve long-unsolved criminal cases, artificial intelligence (AI) is being deployed to breathe new life into unsolved cases. This will transform how investigators approach decades-old evidence and offer renewed hope to victims’ families. To understand why this shift matters, it’s important to first examine the core challenge that has long held cold case investigations back.
Overcoming a mountain of unstructured, disconnected data
Cold case investigations are rarely limited by lack of effort. They are limited by lack of clarity, and the scale of the problem is significant. Today, the United States has more than 250,000 unsolved homicides, representing one of the largest investigative backlogs in the world. Each year, that backlog continues to grow, with roughly 6,000 new murder cases going unsolved annually.
At the same time, law enforcement agencies are struggling to keep up. In 2023, only 57–58% of homicides were cleared, meaning more than 4 in 10 cases remained unresolved. And despite the severity of these crimes, only about 7% of U.S. law enforcement agencies have dedicated cold case units, leaving most departments to revisit old cases intermittently, if at all.
Against this backdrop, evidence continues to accumulate across:
- Paper files and handwritten notes
- Audio recordings and interview tapes
- Physical media like VHS or CDs
- Modern sources like CCTV, body-worn cameras, and mobile data
The result is a fragmented, overwhelming dataset that is nearly impossible to analyze cohesively, especially for under-resourced agencies already balancing new cases with a growing backlog of unsolved ones.
Even when critical clues exist, they are often buried across decades of disconnected systems, making meaningful connections incredibly difficult to uncover. This is where AI steps in. Not to replace investigators, but to amplify them.
Turning data chaos into actionable intelligence
Using Veritone iDEMS (Intelligent Digital Evidence Management System), the Cold Case Foundation can now:
- Ingest disparate data sources into one unified platform
- Automatically transcribe audio from old interviews
- Analyze video for objects, faces, and contextual clues
- Make everything searchable in seconds
Imagine this scenario. An investigator searches for a vehicle mentioned in a 1995 interview. Instantly, the system surfaces:
- The original audio clip
- A transcript of the conversation
- A recent CCTV image of a similar vehicle
What once took weeks to months, or, quite frankly, simply impossible to achieve, now happens in a few keystrokes. For organizations like the Cold Case Foundation, this technology is a game-changer.
Instead of being constrained by limited personnel and overwhelming data, investigators can operate with what’s effectively a “superhuman” layer of support, cutting through noise and surfacing meaningful connections faster than ever before.
This doesn’t just improve efficiency. It fundamentally changes outcomes that leads to faster lead identification, stronger case development, and may help increase the likelihood of case resolution. And most importantly, closure for families who have spent years searching for answers.
But those outcomes point to something deeper than speed or scale. They underscore why this work matters in the first place.
The human element: technology in service of justice
While the technology is powerful, the mission remains deeply human. At its core, this collaboration is about:
- Giving a voice to victims who can no longer speak
- Holding offenders accountable
- Providing long-overdue closure to families
AI isn’t solving cases alone. It’s enabling investigators to do what they do best, with better tools and deeper insights. With AI on their side, the Cold Case Foundation will act as the standard in how to conduct a modern investigation.
What this means for the future of public safety
This partnership signals a broader shift in how law enforcement and investigative organizations will operate moving forward. As digital evidence continues to grow exponentially, the ability to structure unstructured data, surface hidden or hard-to-find connections, and scale investigative capabilities will become a requirement not optional.
AI is no longer just a tool for efficiency. It’s becoming a critical enabler of justice. For years, cold cases have symbolized unanswered questions. Now, they’re becoming opportunities to revisit the past with new eyes, new tools, and renewed determination. And for the families still waiting, that shift can mean everything.
Learn more about our partnership with the Cold Case Foundation here.
Sources:
https://coldcaseinc.com/true-crime-murder-mystery-game-statistics-2024-2025-the-ultimate-data-hub/
https://crimeowl.ai/crime-statistics
https://www.statista.com/statistics/194213/crime-clearance-rate-by-type-in-the-us/
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/07/10/fbi-data-shows-bleak-statistics-solving-murders/
