Fortunately, the rate of unsolved cold cases is slowly declining. Soon, less than 30% of major-crime cold cases will remain unsolved each year. Still, let a news announcer mention JonBenet Ramsey or Jimmy Hoffa and people rush to their TVs.
If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at cracking the code on a real, unsolved murder mystery, Georgia Writers Museum (GWM) will provide that intriguing opportunity at 7 p.m. Friday, May 2 (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), with the return of its unique Crime & Wine Experience at the downtown Eatonton museum.
For true crime junkies, the GWM Crime & Wine Experience provides a unique opportunity to see and hear real evidence for real, unsolved crimes. Each attendee effectively becomes a detective under the tutelage of lead investigator for the evening, Sheryl McCollum.
McCollum is a Law Enforcement Hall of Fame inductee, founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI), and the author of Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. She also is an Emmy-Award-winning crime scene investigator (CSI) from CBS46’s CSI Atlanta, a writer for CrimeOnLine, a forensics and crime scene expert for “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department.
McCollum holds a master’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis on policing, and has received the Metro Atlanta Crime Commission Award, Department of Justice Award, and The President’s Innovation Award.
Crime & Wine was developed by McCollum and CCIRI toassist law enforcement and families with unsolved homicides, kidnappings, and missing persons cases. Members of this one-of-a-kind collection of all-volunteer detectives and crime fighters include everyone from students and stay-ayhome mothers to nationally recognized crime investigation experts such as profilers, detectives, crime analysts, prosecutors, and crime scene investigators.
At each Crime & Wine Experience, McCollum and her team share with the audience their experiences and opinions as well as the “murder box” of a real cold-case investigation. Each “murder box” includes the real reports, photographs, and analysis necessary to gain understanding of each unsolved case presented.
McCollum said she believes each individual brings their own knowledge and perspective to each investigation, often including some that she and her team may not have considered but could produce solid leads for actual cold cases. Following each Crime & Wine Experience, McCollum and her team follow up and report back on any practical leads that may be revealed during each Crime & Wine event.
Previous cases presented to GWM Crime & Wine attendees have resulted in real leads that prompted the arrest of longhidden murderers who now await trial.
At past Crime & Wine events, McCollum and her investigative team have addressed such notable unsolved cases involving Natalee Holloway, Amber Hagerman, and Tupac Shakur, to name just a few. For the return of the Crime & Wine Experience at the Georgia Writers Museum pre-register (required) online at georgiawritersmuseum. org or call GWM at 706-991-5119. Tickets are $40 each or $35 each for two or more. Crime & Wine events typically sell out, so order tickets as soon as possible.
— Contributed