Special Processing Center Identifies Victim of 1995 Cold Case

Staff with the CJIS Division’s Special Processing Center (SPC) assist our law enforcement partners every day by processing criminal fingerprint submissions that require immediate handling. Employees also use the advanced search capabilities of the Next Generation Identification (NGI) System to assist law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in identifying unknown deceased subjects and other cold cases.

On January 5, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (NYCOCME) submitted fingerprints taken from an unidentified decomposed male whose remains were discovered on February 2, 1995. Upon processing the fingerprints through the NGI System, an SPC staff member found a record for the deceased individual which required further research. The staff member attempted to locate hard copies of fingerprint cards by requesting a check of the fingerprint microfilm library. The microfilm library check yielded a U.S. Army civil fingerprint card that positively identified the fingerprints of the decedent. The staff member informed the NYCOCME of the positive identification, bringing closure to a cold case that had been open since 1995.

For more information about how your agency can request assistance from the SPC, email SPC@LEO.gov or call (304) 625-5584.