INDIANAPOLIS — Since Jan. 1, 2021, with hundreds of unsolved homicides, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide clearance rate is well below 50%.
Typically, the original detective on a killing would hold on to that file, surrendering it to a cold case investigator only upon retirement or transfer from IMPD’s homicide branch.
Now, IMPD is taking a fresh look at old cases before they turn cold.
”What we’ve instituted over the last six months is a process that allows the detective to keep it for a period of two years unsolved,” IMPD Deputy Chief of Investigations Kendale Adams said. “At that two-year period, there’s a meeting with the unsolved homicide unit, the supervisors, the detective, and they kind of walk through the case to determine what things are missing, what things are they still waiting on, are we waiting on a phone dump, or, are we still waiting on DNA, to really give the unsolved unit an idea of where this case really stands.”
Previously, the cold case squad was supervised by an active duty sergeant with the support of retired, light duty or reserve detectives.
Now, IMPD has staffed its unsolved unit with three active duty detectives and a civilian assistant to take the load off current homicide detectives who may have more than twenty open cases over the last couple years.
”In that process, we think it is better getting that case off the active detective’s caseload so that he can focus on more recent cases, and the cases that are close can get the attention from the unsolved homicide unit,” Adams said.
Padrionna Stewart told FOX59 and CBS4 that IMPD’s change in tactics is a welcome shift, encouraging the family of Gregory Stewart that perhaps a fresh look will solve his murder after nearly two years. Gregory was killed on July 11, 2022.
”I think it’s good that we have another chance to find out what’s going on, and I really hope that this is it,” Padrionna said. “I don’t wanna go more days and more years and more months not knowing what’s going on.
“I feel like since they have so many cases and so many cold cases, somebody else that would have more time to look into these would probably get more done because people get shot every day, so it’s fresh cases and new faces, and I just want my brother to be a fresh face, and I want it solved.”
Adams also said that the original homicide detective and Assistant Chief Randal Taylor will send a letter to the victim’s family on the date marking the killing in an effort to reassure relatives that their loved one’s case has not been forgotten.
“We understand their pain, and their case still remains relevant to us,” Adams said. “And if they have information, we would certainly welcome them providing that information to us. We need cooperation from the community. Many times, someone in the community knows what occurred. They know what happened. A lot of times they know before our investigators get to the scene.”
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