A frequent visitor to my blogs has commented that the Stacey Burns murder has gone into what appears to be an abyss of cold case files. I have trouble believing this because of the constant reassurances of the authorities that it remains an ongoing, active investigation. This brings us what is a repetitious (and ongoing) theme. It is also the reason for this post, even though I had indicated that there would not be another blog on this subject until after I return from New Hampshire at the end of September. The cold case theme is important enough to address once again and my apologies if I repeat a few points from earlier blogs.

What exactly does a cold case homicide detective do? If we are to believe books, movies and television shows, he or she shows up for work and sifts through the murder book, searching previous interviews, evidence and reports for possible conflicts or discrepancies. Sometimes, but  not often, the detective finds something that was missed in the original investigation.  More likely, at least in entertainment media, the investigator “hits the streets” again, doing follow-up interviews with everyone connected to the case. It is this step in the process of searching for the killer of Stacey Burns that has me confused.

Here is the question I’ve asked before: Has anyone who was originally interviewed by the police been interviewed again by anyone in the New Hampshire State Police, Cold Case Division? At this point, I know of only one person who has. If there are more, I would be interested in hearing about them so that I could feel better about the intensity of the quest to find Stacey’s murderer.

“Adventures of a True Crime Neophyte,” a forty five minute program to be presented in Melvin Village on Sunday afternoon, September 29, at 2:00 P.M. will provide an opportunity for questions for fifteen minutes after the formal program ends.  The program was originally designed for professional writers’ groups but has been adapted for general audiences. Anyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend. A book signing/meet the author session will precede the program at 1:00 P.M. with copies of the new edition of A Favor Returned available.