About & methodology

Kept Evidence documents American cold-case homicides — both those that have beensolved (many cracked open decades later by investigative genetic genealogy) and those that remain open and unsolved. Each case is reconstructed from the public record: court documents, law-enforcement and forensic-laboratory releases, and contemporary news reporting.

Our sourcing standard

Every factual statement on a case page — every date, name, and event in a timeline — is tied to a specific published source, listed in full at the bottom of the page. We do not generate, infer, or guess case facts. If something cannot be verified against a real source, it is left out.

Dramatized accounts

Some pages include a clearly labeled dramatized account: a short narrative retelling built strictly on top of the sourced timeline. It adds atmosphere and pacing, never new facts. These sections are visually separated and carry a standing disclaimer. We only publish a dramatized account where the perpetrator has been convicted and/or is deceased — we do not dramatize living people who were never charged.

Solved and unsolved cases

Solved cases leave a rich, citable public trail — court records, verdicts, and forensic-lab releases — and most of this archive is built from them. We also document a smaller set of unsolved cases that are unusually well covered in the public record. For those, we hold to a stricter line: any theory about who may be responsible is reported only as it has been attributed by a citable source, and we name an individual only where they are deceased, were formally charged, were officially named by authorities, or have been publicly cleared. Living people who were never charged are described by role, never named. We do not point a finger the record does not already point.

Corrections

We take accuracy and the dignity of victims and families seriously. If you find an error, or you are a family member with a concern, please see our Corrections page.