Mississippi cold cases: cold but not closed

Despite days, months and years of silence, the evidence hasn’t gone anywhere — and neither have the questions. Across Mississippi, cold cases remain stubborn puzzles, each piece holding the possibility of long-overdue justice.
From remote rural counties to bustling city streets, the state is home to hundreds of unsolved homicides and missing persons cases — many stretching back decades. These lingering investigations continue to haunt both the detectives who once worked on these cases and the families who still wait for answers.
The toll is measured not just in numbers, but in names. Men, women, and children have disappeared or been killed without resolution, and their loved ones are left in limbo.
Some ask: Why revisit a case 20, 30, even 60 years old? For the families who live with that silence every day, the answer is simple — justice doesn’t expire.
Among Mississippi’s missing is Mary Loper of Lucedale, a wife and mother who vanished in 2002. Her case remains unsolved, with no trace ever found.
Asia Martin, a recent high school graduate, planned to visit her mother out of state when she disappeared. She never made the trip.
And in 1993, Lori Hill — a pregnant teenager — was murdered. More than 30 years later, her case remains unsolved, leaving questions about both her life and that of her unborn child.
Cold cases affect men, too. Among them: Alvin Palmer Jr., Joshua Jarrell, and Tim Boshart — each lost in tragedies that date back to the early 2000s and beyond, their investigations are still open.
Despite modern advances in forensic and DNA analysis, the absence of witnesses or recoverable evidence continues to make missing persons cases particularly difficult to solve.
But the work isn’t over. In Jones County, retired investigator Thad Windham has returned to the field, dedicating his time to cold case work with the Jones County sheriff’s department. “We have to keep talking about these cases,” Windham said. “These families deserve answers.”
Across the state, renewed efforts have begun to breathe new life into old cases. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation operates a specialized Cold Case Unit that coordinates forensic reviews of unsolved violent crimes.
In a 2024 breakthrough, the state solved its first rape case using forensic genetic genealogy, a cutting-edge method that identifies suspects through family DNA — proof that even decades-old cases can yield justice.
Community programs, such as Crime Stoppers’ jailhouse playing cards featuring local cold cases, aim to generate tips by putting victims’ faces back in circulation. Mississippi State University also launched a missing persons and unidentified remains repository to help unify data from agencies statewide.
According to Project: Cold Case, Mississippi has an estimated 2,800 to 3,300 unresolved homicides — a grim tally that represents not just case files, but people. Every one of them has a story. Every single one has a name.
Cold cases are more than numbers — they are whispers from the past, still waiting to be heard.
The only way to solve these crimes is to keep the conversation alive. Continue to say their names. Continue to ask the questions. Because the moment we stop speaking for them, the moment we stop seeking justice — that’s when these cases go truly cold.