Retired detectives form new unit to help solve cold homicide cases

 

MISHAWAKA, Ind., --- The Mishawaka Police Department launched a new Special Investigation Unit, made up of retired detectives who volunteered to help crack cold homicide cases.

The new unit was sworn in on March 29 and is made up people four people who came out of retirement to solve cold homicide cases and provide closure to victims’ families.

“They knew that we had some cold cases and they just contacted us last year, December, January and said hey we want to work your cold cases and you don’t even have to pay us,” said Division Chief Dan Gebo, of the Mishawaka Police Department’s Detective Bureau.

Division Chief Gebo supervises Mishawaka’s the New Special Investigation Unit that’s made up of three retired local detectives and a secretary, who have all volunteered their own free time to help solve cold homicide cases, some of which date back to the 1960s.

“Tim Corbett, he used to be the commander of the homicide unit back in the day, Jim Campbell, he’s a former South Bend Police Officer he’s retired and Dave Dosmann who also was a homicide detective back in the day and is a retired South Bend Police Officer,” said Gebo “They are stepping up to the plate and helping our police department with these cases and that helps a lot.”

Chief Gebo believes with the disbanding of St. Joseph County’s Metro Homicide Unit at the end of 2021, the new team will be even more essential to Mishawaka’s Police Department.

"Since the old Homicide unit disbanded last year, Mishawaka Police now is investigating homicides and along with that is cold case homicides,” he explained. “It’s great help and plus they’re great officers and great people for our community. We’re really lucky.”

He believes it will also help take some of the pressure off the other investigators working to navigate heavy workloads and staffing shortages.

“It frees our time so we can concentrate on active cases.”

And he also believes it will also help bring closure to victims’ families.

“I don’t like cases just to sit especially homicide cases that are cold. We owe it to the family members to always keep looking for the person responsible.”

Right now the department has seven cold case homicides, but Chief Gebo told ABC57 news the new unit has already identified suspects in one of those cases.

If you’d like more information on those cases click here.