The Cold Case Unit

The Michigan State Police First District Cold Case Unit

In April of 2020, Detective Sergeant Larry Rothman with the Michigan State Police contacted the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University to form a collaborative cold case unit. Faculty members have worked with Detective Sergeant Rothman to build this unit and develop unique learning opportunities for our students. In 2025, the collaboration expanded to include the Lansing Police Department.

Cold Case Investigation

This opportunity allows students to engage directly with detectives in the Michigan State Police First District Cold Case Unit and the Investigations Unit at the Lansing Police Department to assist in their investigation of cold case homicides and other cases across the state. Students will gather, synthesize, and digitize hard copies of cold case investigative files to better prepare them for investigation. Students will also work with the detectives to analyze case details, applying theoretical constructs from both victimology and criminology to learn about the victim and potential offender(s) in the cold cases. 

Students will have the opportunity to network with individuals across the field of criminal justice and be exposed to several different career paths. Regular guest speakers include professionals from various divisions of law enforcement, such as homicide detectives, crime analysts, and computer crimes investigators. Additionally, students will learn from forensic anthropologists, victim advocates, and case survivors. Criminal justice professionals will provide interview guidance, resume assistance, and other professional development as students approach graduation and prepare for transitioning to working professionals. 

Since its inception in 2020, the partnership has evolved to a two-semester internship with either Michigan State Police or Lansing Police Department. Interns selected for either agency work collectively with their detectives in the pursuit of answers in their cold case homicides. The goal of the collaboration and internship is to leave investigative case files better than we found them: organized, digitized and ready for an investigator to pick up and begin working leads. 

This is not simply a course – the goal of this experience is to immerse our students in the cold case investigation process.

MSP-MSU Collaborative Cold Case Team Commitment to Victims and Survivors

It is our mission to be victim-centered and offender-focused. We seek to ensure the centrality of victims in the design and implementation of our cold case investigative processes and procedures. Our approach respects and best supports the survivors who have been affected by these crimes. Our team involves a victim advocate who can advise regarding victim-centered and trauma-informed methods of notification of the family, ways to support the family and manage expectations throughout the reinvestigation, and the best practices to support the family post-case review. We are committed to providing a compassionate approach toward the survivors of cold case investigation.

We also maintain our focus on the potential offenders involved in these cases. They are the sole responsible parties who have evaded accountability for the harms they have inflicted on the victim, the survivors, and the communities in which these crimes occurred. We are focused on offender accountability, regardless of the amount of time which has passed since the crime was committed.

Please Note:

At this time, MSU staff and students only work with the Michigan State Police First District Cold Case Unit and the Lansing Police Department. MSU staff and students are unable to review cases from other agencies and jurisdictions.

The Michigan State Police Cold Case Unit determines which cases will be officially reopened by using a scoring matrix. The matrix is comprised of several factors which determine each case's solvability rating. Even though all cold cases will be reviewed, not all of them may be reopened for investigation.