August 22, 2019
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
The Philadelphia Police Department's new website, called Philly Unsolved Murders, features a database of unsolved murder cases including photos and stories or descriptions about murder victims.
The Philadelphia Police Department launched a new website Thursday aimed, which it hopes will help bring conclusions to a number of unsolved murder cases.
The site, called Philly Unsolved Murders, includes a database of unsolved murder cases featuring photos and stories or descriptions about victims. The stories and photos are submitted by the victims' families, police said.
Deputy Commissioner Dennis Wilson was the driving force behind launching Philly Unsolved Murders.
"We are committed to doing everything we can to help victims and their families get justice," Wilson said, "and this website offers an additional safe pathway to get information to detectives."
Each individual unsolved murder case has its own dedicated page on the website, and each page includes a form at the bottom where users can submit tips, either using their names or anonymously. The site also includes a page where users can watch videos about certain unsolved murder cases from the police department's official YouTube page.
The announcement comes just two days after former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross resigned amid reports of an affair, and sexual harassment allegations against his department.
Acting Commissioner Christine Coulter said the new website can offer victims' families and friends "some sense of closure" if unsolved cases manage to reach new conclusions.
"Losing a friend or loved one to murder is devastating, and not knowing who is responsible for taking their life further deepens the profound pain of loss," Coulter said in a release Thursday.
The majority of cases listed on the website Thursday are from 2018 or 2019, but police said the site will be eventually be filled with cases from previous years.
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