There is no more exciting “whodunit” than a true cold case. It generally represents a puzzle that many have tried to solve, only to come up short. Cold cases test intuition, logic, and plain old common sense. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at cracking the code on an unsolved crime, now is your opportunity.
On Friday, Nov. 22, the Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton will again partner with the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI) to present Crime & Wine at the Museum.
For true crime junkies, this program makes you the investigator. Your chief for the evening will be CCIRI founder and director, and Law Enforcement Hall of Fame member Sheryl McCollum, author of Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.
McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning crime scene investigator from CBS46’s “CSI Atlanta,” a writer for CrimeOnLine, a forensics and crime scene expert for “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” and a CSI for a metro Atlanta police department. She holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, emphasizing Policing. She has received the Metro Atlanta Crime Commission Award, Department of Justice Award, and The President’s Innovation Award.
Developed by CCIRI to assist families and law enforcement with unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases, each Crime and Wine program takes an in-depth look at unsolved cold case files. This one-of-a-kind band of all-volunteer crime solvers ranges from students to nationally recognized experts such as profilers, detectives, crime analysts, prosecutors, and crime scene investigators.
McCollum’s Crime & Wine team shares its experiences and the case “murder box” with the GWM audience for a hands-on investigation of a real cold case.
Each “murder box” includes the reports, photographs, and analysis necessary to understand each case. McCollum believes each individual brings unique knowledge and perspective to the investigation that she and her team may not possess, which may produce actual leads for these actual cases.
She and her team will follow up and report back on practical leads suggested during the evening’s event. Previous cases solved by GWM Crime & Wine attendees have resulted in the arrest of long-hidden murderers who are now awaiting trial.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the Nov. 22 Crime & Wine event, which starts at 7 p.m. To join the investigation, visit Georgia Writers Museum online at georgiawritersmuseum.org. Pre-registration is required, and individual tickets are $40 each or $35 each for two or more.