together we take unsolved homicides and disappearances one step further
- Subscribe to our podcast -
recent episodes
Subscribe to cold case talk on your preferred podcast app:
Or listen to recent episodes directly on our site:
Cold Cases and the volunteers working to solve them
In March of 1969, LeRoy Ortiz was taken from his Ogden home and murdered. Ortiz was a young rising boxer but his career was cut short by a bullet to the heart. For years, the Ortiz family said they knew who killed LeRoy and that the killers had even taunted them on the streets of Ogden. Now we know and, even though this was a cold case murder, a certain kind of justice was meted out.
Utah cold case coalition
The Utah Cold Case Coalition, based out of Salt Lake City, is a non-profit organization that now operates throughout the United States. The coalition initially formed to help the family of Rosie Tapia, a 6-year-old girl murdered in 1995 in Salt Lake City.
Since then, the group has worked with legislators to pass legislation forming Utah’s cold-case database. The database has since become a model used by other states. The coalition has also sponsored rewards for information leading to solving any cold case they investigate.
Our group can take novel approaches to solving cold cases and has worked with dozens of families throughout the U.S. The coalition sponsored the donation of cold case playing cards listing rewards for Utah cold cases to jails.
Not the least of our efforts to solve cold cases is the coalition’s dedication to open the country’s first non-profit DNA lab in April 2020.
Since the coalition was formed, the organization has located a missing child, formed conclusions in some murder cases, and presented findings to law enforcement.
Our efforts are only possible with the support of volunteers and donors who help us research, provide tips, fund investigation efforts, and offer rewards. Even just sharing this podcast with a few friends could be what helps solve our next case.
With your help we really CAN take unsolved homicides and disappearances one step further.
Coalition Co-Founders:
Karra Porter - Attorney
Tom Harvey - Editor & Journalist
Jason K. Jensen - Private Investigator
