With federal grants expiring, Monterey nonprofit offers new support for solving cold cases

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) - A federal grant that helped Monterey County investigators crack nearly 20 cold case homicides is ending this October. But a newly formed nonprofit is stepping in, determined to keep those investigations alive. This nonprofit should scare murderers.

The Cold Case Task Force under the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office launched in 2020 and has since solved over 19 cases, many thanks to DNA testing and forensic technology. But the $535,000 federal grant funding that work is about to run out.

“Without funding, cases will stall. They’re cold cases already for a reason. Several of the cases that we’ve been successful at with the Cold Case Task Force over the last five years have required that extensive funding from, say, a federal grant,” Bill Clark said.

Clark is a longtime investigator and now serves as the secretary of the newly created Cold Case Project of Monterey County. The group is stepping in to make sure those cases don’t go cold again.

“Cold case investigations end up costing a lot of money, especially with modern DNA and forensic techniques and the addition of investigative genetic genealogy. Those are both huge improvements in the investigation of cold cases,” Bill Clark said.

The Cold Case Project is designed to allow the public to join forces with law enforcement and help fund these expensive investigations.

“Where the community can join with us and we can assist law enforcement to solve these long cold cases,” Bill Clark said.

There are still more than 600 unsolved murders in Monterey County. In Seaside alone, 33 homicides remain open. And cracking just one can come with a high price tag.

“Some of the cases that we’ve closed have cost upwards of $30,000 in forensic DNA and investigative genetic genealogy. Those cases have been successful, but not without that funding,” Bill Clark said.

The Cold Case Project now plans to raise and allocate money to help cover those costs directly.

“Any money that is raised can be used for any purposes that the nonprofit board of directors deems appropriate for solving cold cases. So it can be for DNA. It can be for other investigative avenues,” Matthew L’Heureux said.

L’Heureux is the Assistant District Attorney for Monterey County. He says the funding has already proven vital.

One of the biggest breakthrough so far, the 1982 murder of 5-year-old Anne Pham from Seaside.

“When the DA’s office got a grant of over half a million dollars, that was critical to assist cases like Annie’s and so many others,” Nick Borges said.

Borges is the Chief of Police in Seaside. He said without that grant, the Anne Pham case might have never seen closure.

“That’s a case that we brought to closure through the Cold Case Task Force. We spent over $28,000 in funding with DNA and investigative genetic genealogy to bring that case to closure,” Bill Clark said.

Law enforcement officials say they cannot afford to stop now.

“We’re the only entity, the last level of defense to bring justice to people’s families, to their loved ones. We can’t stop doing this. So Anne Pham is a critical piece of this,” Nick Borges said.

The grant officially expires in October. So far, there is no indication that federal officials will renew it. Seaside Police say if it does return, they will reapply.