Illinois Students Help Police on 23 Year-Old Serial Killer Hunt

Sometimes when you need to break a case wide open, you need a fresh set of eyes. That's the idea behind a new project championed by the Illinois State Police as they have enlisted the help of students to try and crack the case of serial killer cold cases that they've been working on for 23 years.

The Public Information Office of the Illinois State Police has just released details of how detectives are working together with students from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. Here's what the police are saying about this new partnership:

“The Illinois State Police investigates hundreds of new cases each year, while also following up on cold cases from years past,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Improvements in technology and advancements in forensic testing over the years can breathe new life into old cases. SIUE students have helped us review cold cases to prioritize them based on how close they are to solving."

There are three cold cases that are believed to be the work of serial killer Maury Travis. On January 30, 2002, March 11, 2002 and March 28, 2002, road workers found the remains of 3 bodies. New technology helped identify these victims as Kelly Johnson, Crystal Lay and Carol Jean Hemphill. The students were able to see how the Illinois State Police work with agencies like the FBI to catch killers and identify victims.

Illinois State Police utilize the talents of SIUE criminal law students who "apply a solvability matrix to help prioritize cases based on the likelihood it could be furthered". It's an interesting program that will hopefully continue to help students with a passion for this work continue to hone their investigative skills and bring justice to those who deserve it.