MICHAEL G'FRANCISCO Chicago's-Mystery-Author

Every state in the U.S. has thousands of unsolved murder cases each year. Approximately 6000 more are added to their combined totals each year.

There are strides being made to halt this rampage of murder throughout the country. Many police departments are forming cold case squads, presently, there are about 18,000 nationwide.

The trouble lies within the fact that there is no communication system connecting the law enforcement departments, whether they be big city, towns or rural areas.

The FBI for the past five years has been stumbling in its attempt to trade a paper based system for an electronic one. The bureau has spent over half-billon-dollars in a project called "TRILOGY". The project is well over budget and long past its deadline.

Trilogy was supposed to replace the antiquated investgative software applications (Automated Case Support) system, which allows agents to manage records including cases online. It lacks a modern graphical interface and information. Once entered, it can't be updated or changed.

The new system, known as the Virtual Case File (VCF), calls for the FBI to have a secure, paperless and completely new case management system that would make the same case information available to any FBI agent throughout the country. This will allow all agents to correlate cases and track statistics, such as, investigative leads that could result in convictions or arrests.

The VCF is more than two years late, with no completion in sight. The project has been so poorly managed that 90% of its coded software maybe unuseable.

You can still help in solving these cold cases and ease the pain of the families of murdered victims. Remember, as long as an unsolved case remains open, the murderer is walking the streets preying upon thier victims. Maybe, even in your very own neighbor.

"The Axeman of New Orleans": (1918-1920) This phantom of the night liked to break into house while people were alseep and kill them with an axe. He also stalked the streets with his trusty axe. Although, the murders stopped after a man named "Joseph Mumtre" was tracked down and shot to death by a wife of a victim. She claimed that she remembered him as her husband's killer. He killed 9 victims.

"Bible John": (1969) Three lovely young women were strangled to death after they left the Scotish Barrowland Ballroom in a six month period. All three were seen leaving with a tall, slim, red haired man. Witnesses said he was always quoting the bible. He was never found.

"The Black Dahlia" (1947) Elizabeth Short was a 22 year old expiring actress. On January 15, 1947, her mutiluated body, severed at the waist, was discovered in a vacant lot near her home. She was given her "nickname" by a newspaper reporter with a vivid imagination. The Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake movie "The Blue Dahlia" was the current popular movie.

"Capital City Murders" (1968-1984) Madison, Wisconsin has a rash of abducted and murdered women associated with the university there. During this murder spree the victims were stabbed, beaten and blown-up in a bombing. What tied the cases together was the facts that each of the female victims were young, wore their hair long and parted it in the same manner and their body were found a short distant from Madison and the University.

"Ciudad Juarez" (1993- ) This Mexican border town next to El Paso has had at least 350 young women murdered by being raped and beaten to death, stabbed and strangled to death, brutally mutilated (breast cut off and their nipples bitten off) before shot and stabbed to death. This catalog of carnage has been going on since early 90's with no end in sight. The suspects have been the drug gangs, a serial killer, tourists, men of wealth and even the local policemen.

"The Grimes Sisters" (1957-1958) Two young teenage girls left their Chicago home to see an Elis Presley movie at the Brighton Theater on December 28, 1956. Their naked and bruised bodies, which had a thin layer of ice on them, were found January 22, 1957 near Willow Springs, Illinois, a town southwest of the city. They had been stabbed, possible with an ice pick, and at least one raped. Numerous sighting and contact with the girls were reported up to January 14th, but the only undoubted one was when they were seen in the theater's popcorn line. Did the girls decide to see Elvis for real and were finally the victims of a depraved killer?

"The Frankford Slasher" (1985- 1989) This crime-ridden slum populated by prostitutes and junkies was the sight setting for the film "ROCKY" by Sly Stallone. In 1985, the first victim was found nude from the waist down with her legs spread open and her blouse pulled-up to expose her breast. She had been stabbed many times. Eight others were also stabbed and slashed of the 68 women that were brutally murdered in this God forsaken town.

"London Hammer Murders" (2003-2004) In one year, 6 teenage girls were brutally bludgeoned by a hammer-wielding manaic after dark throughout London. No arrest in the cases, but a suspect described as a 5 foot 9 inch, heavy-build man in his mid-to-late 40's with a prominent nose and dark eyes framed with bushy eyebrows was never located.

"Jack the Ripper" (1888) This Jack of blood some say killed as many as twelve (12) prostitutes, others believe it was seven (7), but agreed by the most it was five (5). His carnage of London's Whitechapel District is the most famous of all of the serial killers. Yet, he wasn't the most barbarous which history has shown us.

"Jack the Stripper" ( 1964-1965) aka "Hammersmith Nude Murder" London was the playground for this unusual serial killer. Six (6) prostitutes were his prey and his method of killing was strangluation while they were performating forced "fellatio" (oral sex). Their nude bodies, except for their stockings, were found around London and in the River Thames. The conditions of the bodies had similarities, such as; they were all stored near intensive heat and had flecks of paint on their corpses.

Over 7000 suspects were interviewed. One was a prime suspect, but he committted suicide. A smart moved on the part of a Chief Inspector who called a press conference an related he had narrowed the suspects down to twenty (20) seemed to put a halt to the killing. So, as in the previous Jack's time the crimes ceased on their own, and with the lack of clues it went cold and unsolved to this day.

"The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run" ( 1934-1938) This bizarre case of 12 serial murders began with two boys taking a hike up a grassy hill called "Jackass Hill". They stumbled upon two decapitated male bodies. The heads and penises were lying a few feet from their bodies. Througout the next four years bodies parts of men and torsos of women were found in bushel baskets and burlap sacks around Cleveland Ohio. Some were sexually mutilated, but all were done with precision making the conclusion that it was a medical person doing the insidious deeds. Although, it was sternly believed that a certain doctor of good standing was the culprit, it was never proven.

"The Monster of Florence" (1968-1985) For almost two decades this killer of lovers stalked Florence, Italy by day and night. He killed a total of 16 lovers in the cars by means of shooting, and stabbing. The first two were shot to death while a young boy lay alseep on the rear seat. From that point on the murders got more morbid and sexually deviant. One of the female victims was found with her legs in a spread-eagle position with a vine root protruding from her vagina. Many women after that were found with their vagina removed. There was speculation that an Italian farmer whose wife was less than true to him was a master mind and head of a gang of killers. No prove ever substantiated this theory.

"The Texarkana Moonlight Phanton" (1946) In a period of for months begainning with the brutal pistol beating of a young man and the sexual assault upon his girlfriend with the gun there were a rash of shooting by a hooded six foot man who always struck when the moon was full. He also disappeared into the night never to be heard from again.

"The Zodiac Killer" (1966-20--) This notorious and very bizarre serial killer coined his own name in a series of letters to the California newspapers. His letters include several crytograms or ciphers. One was decoded to read, "I like killing people because it is so much fun". He has been suspected of murdering at least 40 people in and around the states near California. He at one time claimed he was collecting slaves for his after life. Letters with weird ciphers and cryptic messages taunted the police for more than 30 years. Over 2500 suspects have been questioned to no avail. The case still remains open.

It is quite difficult to determine just how many unsolved cases of murder exist today, given this vast country. In the preceding articles and pages of this website only a small amount of the solved and unsolved murder cases have been touch upon. Each city and town throughout the United States has multiple files with cold (unsolved) cases.

Maybe, if the FBI ever finishes their "Trilogy Project" a light can be shed upon some of these cases and the future of unsolved cases will diminish. Let us hope!