Monterey County DA Jeannine M. Pacioni Receives a $535,000 Federal Grant for Her Cold Case Task Force for Use of DNA Technology in Violent Crime Investigations and Prosecutions

SALINAS, California- District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Monday, January 24 that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Task Force a $535,000 grant for the use of DNA technology in cold-case investigations and prosecutions. The grant which is one of seven awarded is titled “FY 2021 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA,” was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The program was designed to increase the capacity of state and local prosecution offices to address and close violent crime cold cases. The grant will provide funding to support forensic testing and investigative activities in the prosecution of cold cases where DNA from a suspect has been identified. Violent crime cold cases include homicides, forcible rapes, missing persons, or unidentified persons that have remained unsolved for at least 3 years and have the potential to be solved and/or prosecuted through the application of forensic techniques and/or technologies, or newly acquired information or advanced technologies to analyze evidence. With the support of the grant, the Cold Case Task Force proposes to identify and actively investigate 45 violent-crime cold cases over the next 3 years where suspect DNA has been identified or where there is DNA evidence that could be used to identify previously unidentified human remains. The grant funding will enable the Task Force to hire an annuitant investigator to exclusively work on qualifying cold cases, as well as to pursue advanced DNA testing at accredited private laboratories. In July 2020, District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni implemented the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Task Force, an inter-agency working group designed to assist local agencies with investigating, resolving, and prosecuting their unsolved homicide cases. The Task Force consists of multiple veteran investigators and a deputy district attorney who collaborate with the original investigating agency to review cases, develop investigative strategies, conduct witness interviews, do background research, and facilitate the submission or re-submission of items for potential DNA and other scientific testing. With the support and assistance of the local chiefs of police, the Task Force has collaborated with eight local law-enforcement agencies on one or multiple unsolved cases. In its first year, we solved five cases and the Task Force has reviewed more than 30 different homicide cases occurring between 1974 and 2018. The District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against 6 suspects for 6 cold-case homicides. The Task Force will collaborate with detectives on any case upon the request of the investigating agency. The Task Force aims to increase inter-agency collaboration, combine the talents and expertise of multiple investigators to examine unresolved cases with fresh eyes, and to demonstrate to the citizens of Monterey County that these victims and their cases have not been forgotten despite the passage of time. Further information on the Task Force is available at https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/district-attorney/cold-case-task-force. If you have information relating to an unsolved homicide, you may contact Chief Ryan McGuirk at McGuirkRJ@co.monterey.ca.us or Investigator Bill Clark at ClarkB@co.monterey.ca.us. Award Number: 15PBJA-21-GG-004356-DNAX. To view video: https://www.facebook.com/montereyda