Free database helps crack cold case from 1984

Published 4 October 2011

A cold case investigation into the whereabouts of a man who went missing in 1984 was recently solved with the help of a free online law enforcement database

A cold case investigation into the whereabouts of a man who went missing in 1984 was recently solved with the help of a free online law enforcement database.

Using the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS), Detective David Boyer of the Pasco County police department in Florida was recently able to crack the case of Gregory Greco who disappeared in 1984.

On the database, Boyer found 388 possible matches for unidentified bodies around the country based on search criteria that included physical appearance, height, weight, and DNA.

Eventually, with the information from the site, Boyer was able to put the facts together based on evidence from a man who took his own life in 1987.

This program is awesome because it actually combines these two facets of law enforcement and medical examiner investigations together and actually compares them,” Boyer said.

Boyer hopes that other law enforcement officers around the country begin using the database to help solve other cold cases.

NAMUS also connects investigators with local law enforcement officers, forensic scientists, and experts.