Cold Case Program gains national attention, inspires expansion

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—From across the United States and around the globe, messages are filling Dr. Ashlyn Kuersten's voicemail and inbox. Everyone, it seems, is interested in her Cold Case Program—a first-of-its-kind partnership with Michigan State Police—which has already helped bring closure to one decades-old murder with possibilities for more solved cases on the horizon.

"I never expected all this media attention!" says Kuersten, the program's director and professor in the Department of Sociology's Criminal Justice Program. "I just thought this would be a good way to give students research opportunities while solving a murder case. I just figured it would spawn a million senior thesis and dissertation ideas. 

But the program's immediate success and emotional impact also spawned headlines—from small-town newspapers to People magazine to coverage on national and even international television.

"My most rewarding experience with the Cold Case Program so far was attending Patrick Gilham's sentencing," says McKenzie Stommen, a criminal justice student who has been involved with the program since its launch. "Getting to be there and experience that moment of justice for Roxanne Wood, to meet her family and hear their victim impact statements, was life-changing."

Wood's husband found her dead in their Niles home in 1987. Her family waited an agonizing 35 years for answers. The influx of fresh eyes in the form of college students hungry to learn more about criminal justice, and with the time, motivation and ability to provide much-needed additional support to law enforcement officials, helped to bring closure to the case at long last.

“One of the detectives said it best. 'If we do nothing, we get nothing,'" Kuersten says. The Cold Case program provides a framework for Western students to assist law enforcement agencies that may not otherwise have the staff and budget resources necessary to delve deeply into cases that might still be solved.

"I think it's genius," Sheinelle Jones, co-host on the "Today Show" said after the national program featured the work of Kuersten's students.

"Would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids," Al Roker chimed in.

Hundreds more families across the state, and exponentially more worldwide, are desperate for closure of cold cases involving their loved ones, which can linger unsolved for years or even decades. And Kuersten's program may be the spark that ignites new hope—the media exposure has sparked interest from administrators at a number of other universities and law enforcement agencies.

"New Mexico, West Virginia, Oklahoma, New York, Kansas, Washington State—I'm getting calls from all over asking how other schools can set up a similar program," Kuersten says. She's going on the road this fall to consult with some of them.

Don Weber, director of information technology for the College of Arts and Sciences who set up the Cold Case Program's encrypted computer system, is also advising the institutions on the systems necessary to protect the sensitive cases. 

"The expansion of the program at other universities is amazing to see. There is a massive number of cold cases across the country, and a partnership like this is a fantastic way to address that problem despite a systemic lack of resources available for cold cases," says Stommen, who took on a new role in summer 2022 as program coordinator.

"I wear a lot of hats—managing the students; serving as a point of contact for detectives and the public; and maintaining our social media to name a few, in addition to continuing to work on cases," she says. "I'm learning how to use this new position to innovate, whether that be finding new avenues in a case or expanding fellow students' educational experiences."

Stommen will supervise eight new undergraduate students in the fall who will be investigating four different cases.

"I am looking forward to seeing how I react and handle various situations and problems thrown at me throughout the program and am eager to learn more about the best ways to go about solving different cases. I truly believe everything I learn throughout this program will benefit my life and future career," says Savanna Dempsey, a fourth-year criminal justice and behavioral science student tapped to join the cohort. She had stiff competition—applications for the program came flooding in as the program gained national attention.

"I heard about it on the news," says Ruby Lauria, a second-year criminal justice student who will join Dempsey on the team. "I hope to learn more about forensic technology and certain limitations in cases."

The new cohort has already gotten a glimpse of some of that technology during a summer tour of the Michigan State Police Forensic Lab in Grand Rapids. Students learned what it takes to collect fingerprints from evidence and had a crash course on forensic genealogy, a fast-developing field that uses new DNA technology to help find criminals. It's the technique that ultimately led detectives to Roxanne Wood's killer.

"DNA is changing the battlefield for all these forgotten women over the last several decades," Kuersten says. "These students are studying genealogy and DNA evidence, along with forensics like blood splatter and gunshot residue. There are so many new forensic developments that are creating different career opportunities for our students."

The most rewarding part of the experience, Kuersten says, is watching her students become passionate about their research. 

"When the students read a cold case file and they get a look of magic in their eye, it shows me that they now see why we asked them to read their textbooks over their college career," Kuersten says. "All of a sudden, all of that disparate information that's been rattling around in their head makes sense. It's incredibly fulfilling to me as an educator."

And as an added bonus, Kuersten's students also have the opportunity to change lives.

"It would mean the world to me to be able to potentially help families find closure and bring killers to justice," says Dempsey. "The opportunity to work alongside good people to potentially make a difference is a privilege I am forever thankful for. No matter what 'evil' this world throws at us, I am so happy to be doing my part to try to make a difference in any way I can."

This story is published as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Annual Magazine—view the 2022 Magazine online.