Hamilton County leaders, Cincinnati Police to launch cold case task force

CINCINNATI (WXIX) -

The Cincinnati Police Department hosted a cookout Sunday for survivors who have lost friends and family to violence.

FOX19′s Jessica Schmidt was at the cookout to talk to the families. She tells us Cincinnati police and Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announced they are teaming up to create a task force to work on cold cases.

Tracy Morris lost her son Antwan Morris in November 2021, when she says he was shot and killed while working as a handyman. She and other survivors who have lost loved ones from crime in Cincinnati gathered at the cookout.

“There’s a lot of us who lost loved ones and some of us are fortunate enough to have the person apprehended, and there’s the ones [that are] here that still doesn’t have closure or have no one to be accountable for these crimes that have been committed against their families,” Morris said.

Karen Rumsey from the CPD Victims Assistance Liason Unit spoke at the cookout and said that candidates for the judge and prosecutor’s offices were also there to speak to the survivors.

“It’s important to these families, families with solved cases and unsolved cases, that they’re informed on who’s running for what and how that will impact the life of their loved one’s case,” Rumsey said.

CPD is assigning two detectives to work only on cold case homicides, and Powers is having four of their retired homicide investigators work with CPD.

As work on these cold cases starts, Monica Benton with CPD says it’s important that people contact them if they have any information. She says there are services to help protect witnesses.

To report information about a homicide, please call Crime Stoppers or Cincinnati Police at 513-352-3920.

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