29 YEARS LATER: Baltimore County Police Department identifies remains as missing 20-year-old mother

TOWSON, MD—Human remains found in a Baltimore County wooded area in 1996 have been identified as those of a 20-year-old mother who disappeared 12 years earlier, the Baltimore County Police Department announced on Thursday. The woman, whose identity had been unknown for more than 29 years and was only known as “Falls Road Jane Doe,” was identified as Leoria Smith, […]

State officials announce launch of Maryland Sexual Assault Evidence Kit tracking program

BALTIMORE, MD—Governor Wes Moore and Attorney General Anthony Brown, in partnership with the Maryland Sexual Assault Evidence Kit (SAEK) Policy and Funding Committee and the Governors’ Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCPP), have announced the launch of a statewide tracking system for Sexual Assault Evidence Kits (SAEKs). “When survivors can count on accountability in our justice system, we have […]

Baltimore County seeks cold case sexual assault survivors for updates

TOWSON, MD—County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Tuesday joined Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, TurnAround, Inc., the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA), and community leaders to announce a new public awareness initiative appealing to cold case sexual assault survivors between 1977 and 1997 who were treated at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The effort […]

Maryland’s DNA database records 10,000th total hit

PIKESVILLE, MD—Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, this week announced the latest milestone for Maryland’s DNA database, supporting its role as a tool for law enforcement in the ongoing effort to reduce crime, apprehend criminals, and exonerate the innocent. Maryland’s DNA database, housed at the State Police Forensic Sciences Division laboratory, has now recorded 10,000 […]

COLD CASE CRACKED: Florida man charged in connection with 2006 murder of woman found on I-70

PIKESVILLE, MD—Maryland State Police investigators have charged a Florida man in connection with the 2006 murder of a young woman found on Interstate 70 in Frederick County. The suspect has been identified as Garry Artman, 64 of White Springs, Florida. Artman is charged with first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault. Artman is being held at the Kent […]

Baltimore County announces $300,000 Hackerman Foundation grant to support cold case sexual assault investigations

TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Monday announced that the Hackerman Foundation has awarded $300,000 in grant funding to Baltimore County and the Baltimore County Police Department to support cold case sexual assault investigations and improve current and future investigations. This new funding will support key recommendations from the Baltimore County Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force’s recently released final […]