SAN MARCOS, Texas — Criminology students at Texas State University will now have the opportunity to investigate unsolved cases before they even graduate.
Texas State University (TXST) announced on Monday it has partnered with the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to create the inaugural TXST Cold Case Team, a one-year internship that will allow students in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology to work with the OAG's Cold Cold and Missing Persons Unit.
Jaymi Elsass, Ph.D., the internship coordinator in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology, said this program is the first of its kind in Texas, though similar teams of students exist at other universities across the U.S. and internationally.
"[Some of those teams have] had success at solving murder cases that have been cold for more than 40 years," Elsass said. "The potential for students to give back to crime victims and their families in our state by processing unsolved murder cases, while learning firsthand the investigative skills needed to prepare them for a career in this field upon graduation, is the kind of program that Texas State University prides itself on."
Texas State said the Cold Case Team will consist of four students who will review actual unsolved homicide and missing persons cases under the supervision of professional investigators and prosecutors. The students will work in teams of two and will spend the duration of the course digging into all aspects of the cases – including reviewing police records, witnesses statements, autopsy and lab reports and more – to try to uncover potential new leads.
The university said the internship is designed for students who are planning careers in the criminal justice system who have a strong interest in crime scene investigations, forensic science and digital forensics. All program participants will be required to undergo rigorous criminal background checks by the OAG and must comply with all state and federal requirements regarding the "possession of criminal histories and other important confidential information."
According to the press release from Texas State, as of 2020, there were more than 20,000 unsolved murders in Texas.