The Cold Case Foundation

When Gregory M. Cooper, former head of the FBI’s Behavior Sciences Unit, founded The Cold Case Foundation in 2013, he had no idea what he was in store for. What started with just a half-dozen or so retired FBI and homicide detectives has now ballooned to over 150 women and men who volunteer their time in an effort to help families of deceased or missing loved ones bring closure to cases that have gone “cold.” The Cold Case Foundation shares the most riveting and rewarding cases that the Foundation has helped to solve, from high-profile missing persons cases to decades-old murders.

In a fairly short period of time, The Cold Case Foundation has contributed to the solving of dozens of cases and is helping hundreds more homicide and missing persons investigations move forward. Police departments and victims’ families from around the country have taken on the Foundation’s services, which are more than welcome for investigators that are increasingly finding themselves with fewer resources – and not enough time – to dedicate to the most difficult cases. Follow one of the Foundation’s first volunteers, a former homicide detective in Southern California, find the killer that lured a man onto his fishing boat and out to sea; learn how the Foundation collaborated with local law enforcement to help sort of homicide cases across Texas and New Mexico that had been falsely confessed to by a delusional man; discover evidence that, until now, was useless in solving the brutal 50-year-old murder of a young couple in a community near Yellowstone; make an arrest in the high-profile murder case of a star college football player destined for the NFL; find out how the Foundation aided in the case of Maya Millete, whose disappearance from her Navy post made national headlines; and more.

The Cold Case Foundation not only covers the investigative approaches that the foundation’s investigators employ and recommend, but also the principles and activities that help communities and law enforcement agencies come together in a spirit of cooperation and trust to help solve cases that, for whatever reason, have gone unsolved – until now.

Gregory M. Cooper is the Founder of the Cold Case Foundation and former head of the FBI’s Behavior Sciences Unit. He has worked as an FBI Profiler, Law Enforcement Administrator, Police Instructor, University Professor, and an International and Domestic Threat Assessment Advisor. Cooper’s work has been featured in New York Times-bestselling books and Netflix documentaries, and he is the co-author of Predators: Who They Are and How to Stop Them.

Dean Jackson is the Deputy Executive Director of the Cold Case Foundation. He is also a member of the Utah Critical Incident Stress Management team, and accredited instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Jackson is a violent crime specialist and continues to provide training for law enforcement agencies on homicide, missing persons, unidentified bodies, and sexual assault cold case investigations, stress management, and death notifications.

Thomas McHoes is a freelance journalist who was previously a crime/investigative reporter for the Provo Daily Herald and The Roseville Press-Tribune. He is a co-author with Gregory M. Cooper of Predators: Who They Are and How to Stop Them.