Cold case unit to be set up at city uni
CRIMINOLOGY students in Glasgow will begin investigating unsolved missing person cases in Scotland. A cold case unit is going to be established at Glasgow Caledonian University, where students will be given the opportunity to delve into open cases of long-term missing people.
They will work alongside the families of missing loved ones in a bid to find fresh evidence.
The first-of-its-kind facility for Scotland will allow students to review official case files and collaborate with specialists in investigation, forensic scientists and intelligence analysts as part of the unique project.
Dr Maureen Taylor, a lecturer in Criminology and a former forensic investigator and criminal intelligence analyst, and director of the GCU Cold Case Unit, said: “Some of these cases are decades old and have caused families a huge amount of distress.
“Working with Locate International and developing the cold case unit is a unique collaboration that offers the opportunity to not only give hope to the families of missing loved ones but to develop novel solutions to cold case investigations and analytical capabilities.
“The cold case unit will provide students with the opportunity to receive fantastic training in investigation, intelligence and analysis.
“It is a very exciting project that will help to not only develop future investigators but also bring answers to families of the missing.”
It is hoped that the students will begin training in the summer with work on the first case expected to start in September.
Figures show there are more than 4000 people in the UK who have been missing for more than a year with around 1000 unsolved cases involving unidentified human remains.
In and around Glasgow, there are dozens of unresolved cases for long-term missing people.
They include the disappearance of David Findlay - a Cardonald man who vanished eight years ago, Samuel Townsley, who was last seen on Union Street in 2016, Paul Booth who was last spotted in Cumbernauld five years ago and Vincent Barr, whose last image was caught on CCTV walking across the Tradeston footbridge in September.
It is unknown if Glasgow Caledonian University’s cold case unit will investigate these specific cases.