SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — A new cold case unit is coming to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.
The unit will have two members in Sergeant Linda Jimenz and Detective Irene Shelvay.
Jimenez has worked on cold cases since October of 2019 and has gathered information on about 200 unsolved homicides and 150 missing person and sexual assaults cases that date back to 1964, the sheriff's office said.
The new unit means the families of a homicide victim might be getting a letter after Mar. 1 asking if they'd want to be involved in reopening the case. This will help the sheriff's office set up a point of contact and keep an open line of communication with the family.
The sheriff's office has also encouraged anyone who has a loved one that was a victim of an unsolved homicide to contact them.
However, the sheriff's office says they understand that participating in the investigation could "open old wounds" for families.
As the unit builds and improves, officials said they'll be considering aspects like how DNA techniques are being used to solve crimes that were previously impossible to solve.
Anyone with information about a San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office cold case can call 209-468-5087.
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