(ANGOLA) – Area unsolved police cases will be looked at with some new eyes.

Trine University, in partnership with the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD), launched a Cold Case Unit this semester. It's the first such university-based unit in the state of Indiana.

Dr. Erica Hutton, Director of the Cold Case Unit and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Trine says they are proud to pioneer this initiative and endorse the police practitioner relationship with Trine students.

An investigative team of five Trine University students is working in a dedicated space on Trine's Angola campus to organize and catalog evidence to assist FWPD detectives with investigative efforts. Students will dissect and assemble material pertinent to assigned cases while aiming to add evidence to the data on file with the police department.

The Fort Wayne Police Department is excited for this new partnership with Trine University.

Cold cases are unsolved criminal investigations, which remain open pending the discovery of new evidence. The newly formed Unit would assist FWPD's Homicide detectives with finding this evidence to potentially bring closure to these open homicide cases.

The FWPD understands that the victims' families struggle with closure when homicide cases go unsolved and want to use all available resources to solve crime; and hopefully, help find some closure and peace of mind for the families.

The unit will be an ongoing effort with the opportunity for students from any major to apply each year.

Hutton said Trine's Cold Case Unit has received valuable mentorship from Ashlyn Kuersten, Ph.D., director of the Cold Case Unit at Western Michigan University. Since its launch in 2020 in partnership with the Michigan State Police, Western Michigan's unit has assisted with 28 cold cases, two of which have been solved.