NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — There is new hope for solving cold cases in Newport News.
Three investigators are now working full-time on a brand-new Cold Case Team within the police department.
Armed with a combined 85 years of policing experience, the trio has already started digging into some of the old case files that may have gathered dust — but still have a chance of ending with an arrest.
It would bring closure to the cases and a resolution to families that have waited years for answers.
IT'S PERSONAL
For homicide investigators, some cases will stick with them forever.
“Oh I think we all have that one case we want to solve, the particular case I’m thinking of is from the 80s,” said Det. Aaron Thornton.
Some cases have no resolution.
“I do have a specific case I think about, in 2018 I was involved with, it was a pregnant woman who passed away, unfortunately, from her injuries as well as her baby, and no one has ever been arrested for that,” said Det. Amber Rogers.
Amber Rogers, Aaron Thornton, and Misty Mercer are now working full-time to close some of the unsolved murders dating back to the 1960s in the city of Newport News.
Right now, the three veteran detectives are reviewing old case files to see whether renewed investigative steps could help bring closure, including utilizing new DNA technology, like forensic genealogy.
“We’re actively in that stage of going through cases, triaging those cases, and seeing which cases could benefit most from old-fashioned police work, DNA technology and help from the community," said Det. Thornton.
It’s an ambitious task that brought Mercer out of retirement.
“I went to Major Crimes in 1993 and retired out of Homicide in 2005, basically everything has changed, the advancements in DNA have come so far,” said Ret. Det. Misty Mercer.
Mercer recently spent a month just reviewing an entire file from an unsolved 2018 homicide, including every witness statement and every lab report. She's hopeful they can track down witnesses while they're still alive, especially in cases that are close to being solved, but just need that final statement pinning a suspect at the scene.
"Our witnesses are our backbone to all these cases, the heart and soul of them," said Ret. Det. Mercer. “Some of them are parents now, they look at things differently, and they now want to come forward and help us find resolution to these cases."
The Cold Case Team mostly strayed from discussing specific cases in their interview with 13News Now. But they acknowledged they have already started work to try and solve one of the most high-profile mysteries in Hampton Roads: the disappearance of Keir Johnson and her daughter, 8-month-old Chloe, in 2017.
“So even now we’re sending stuff from 2017 to the lab that we didn’t have information on before,” Det. Rodgers said.
GIVING IT 'THE BEST SHOT'
That’s just one of the many cases Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew hopes to see solved. He’s wanted and talked about a Cold Case Team for years.
“There was a homicide that happened right before I got here, the mother of that victim every year comes here to get a brief on that case,” Chief Drew said. “Her passion really put into motion – how do we make this happen?”
The team will work with the Commonwealth’s Attorney to bring charges, as cases come together.
Based on FBI records and clearance rates for Newport News, it is likely that the city has more than 200 unsolved homicides, dating back decades.
“I wish that we could close every case. Probably not going to happen. But man, we’re going to give it the best shot we can,” Chief Drew said.
The new team is not currently taking up the mysterious disappearance of Sheree Brown, who went missing in October 2023.
Chief Drew said he still gets briefed on the Brown case every two weeks. As of now, the department's Special Victims Unit is still actively investigating it as a missing persons case.
Anyone with information on any cold case homicide in Newport News can call detectives directly at 757-928-4200, or remain anonymous by calling the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or by submitting a tip through the P3 Tips mobile app.