DA Receives Federal Grant to Fund Cold Case Investigations

The Board of Supervisors today authorized Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin to accept a $535,000 federal grant intended to aid in solving or prosecuting cold case violent crimes, relying on forensic evidence.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on receipt of the. U.S. Bureau of Justice grant award, which must be expended by Sept. 30, 2024.  

According to prosecutors, a cold case is defined as any violent crime, missing persons or unidentified persons incident unsolved after three years.  

The federal grant aims specifically to cover costs incurred from DNA analysis.

"Provided that DNA attributed to a known or unknown suspect who has been identified, funding support includes investigative activities and crime and forensic analyses that could lead to prosecuting violent crime cold cases and decreasing the number of violent crime cold cases awaiting prosecution," according to a DA's office statement posted to the board's Tuesday agenda.  

The agency's Bureau of Investigations maintains a Cold Case Unit, which assists the sheriff's Cold Case Squad and detectives in municipal policies agencies countywide.