Are you a police officer? A private investigator? An investigative journalist?
No. I do not actively investigate cases. I leave that to the professionals. I am a true crime writer with a background in law. I am a member of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC) and the American Society of Criminology (ASC). I explore what is in the public domain and ask questions while reading up on a case.
Are you part of the Vidocq Society?
No, my Twitter handle (and for some time my pen name) refer to Eugène François Vidocq (July 24, 1775 – May 11, 1857) who went from criminal to criminalist. He became founder and first director of the Sûreté Nationale in France. He is one of the founding fathers of what we now know as criminology. He is also regarded to be one of the very first private detectives.
After years of crimes and incarceration, Vidocq became a police informant, started the first plain-clothes brigade, experimented with disguises to go under-cover, was the first to make a plaster cast impressions of shoe prints to show in court, and set up a private detective agency. He is a ver colorful character so check it out online.
As an aside, there is confusion about the difference between a criminologist and a criminalist. Simply put, a criminologist researches crime, crime prevention, criminals, and punishment. A criminalist researches how to apply scientific principles to ensure that evidence can be introduced in court.
I love your work. Can I quote it, copy it, use it?
Fair use is encouraged but if you use my work please mention that you found the information on my website. Use as credit: Defrosting Cold Cases, add the link, and use as author: Alice de Sturler. I do the same for you. As you can see at the bottom of the page, all rights are reserved. Remember that if you use my photographs to include the credits as well. We regularly check the web using Copyscape and we will call you out on ‘unfair’ use.
Do you review books?
Yes, but I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website’s theme and research. Book reviews are posted here on my website first. After that, I share my book reviews on social media such as Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I cannot meet deadlines due to my workload. If you want me to review your book, contact me. I reserve the right to not review a book. If possible, I prefer a copy in paper form so my eyes get less screen time.
How do I comment on posts?
I encourage my readers to share their thoughts on their own social media platforms. By discussing a cold case on your accounts with your network, you enhance the victim’s digital footprint. If we all keep that up maybe one day a case pops up in news feeds from people who can help advance the case. And that is the goal. You can comment or discuss a case with my other readers on my website’s Facebook page.
If I send you a message on the Contact Page, does it get posted on your website?
No, messages sent via the contact page land in my email inbox and are for my eyes only.
Can anyone guest blog on your website?
My guest bloggers are people I know, professionals, victim family members or friends who have communicated extensively with me or, fellow cold case writers. Note that I do not publish repeated content. Be unique!
Do you respect my privacy?
YES. No email address is ever shared unless you ask me to do so. There are no ads here, I don’t sell anything, and you cannot purchase anything here either.
Why is there a picture of a military fort on your website?
This picture in the left margin was used in previous themes so for continuation, I now use it in the mission statement (upper left hand corner of the website’s theme).
Dinaburg Fort is located in Latvia, Europe. It is the biggest fort in the Baltic States. I chose this photograph as my header because it represents how I feel about unsolved homicides.
Arches are a familiar feature in old prisons. In this photograph, you see moss everywhere. To me that indicates the cold, moist areas where unsolved homicide files are stored in a dismal state with little done to properly preserve the evidence. The arch opens into another area that holds the same dreadful features but one thing is different: the other area has two windows. These windows are like eyes and they let me look into a different direction. I can look out but also review the case by looking in, change the angle, change the starting point, etc.
Passing the arch symbolizes that the cold cases stored there for decades are now taken up by different people but still without results. However, there is hope that one day we just might find that piece of information that allows us to see the case with “new eyes” as represented by two small windows.
A cold case is a puzzle. However, if after decades the puzzle pieces still do not fit together then maybe it is time to think outside the box. Maybe the bits of information that formed a single puzzle piece were never meant to be placed together in one piece. Maybe we started the puzzle with the wrong pieces. And that is what this website does. I look at the puzzle and try to find alternative explanations for the facts in hopes to regroup the puzzle pieces to get a clearer picture.
Who is your webmaster?
Jacques Soudan has been responsible for the technical aspects of my website since 2009. I highly recommend him.
