Philadelphia

You Can Help Solve a Murder in Philadelphia by Visiting a Website

Philly police are asking for the public's help in solving murders by going to PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com

What to Know

  • Philadelphia police hope PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com will serve as a tool to bring killers to justice.
  • The site, where people can submit photos, video and tips that pertain to unsolved murders, launched Thursday.
  • Solving these cases "may offer victims’ families and friends some sense of resolution," police say.

Philadelphia police are hoping a new website can bring justice in some of the city’s unsolved murders.

Philadelphia Police launched PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com Thursday.

The site serves as a tool for homicide detectives trying to bring some closure for people devastated by losing a loved one, police said.

"Families, friends and communities are forever changed when someone they know or love is killed," Acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter said in a greeting posted to the site. "We believe every victim deserves justice, and their families, friends and communities deserve resolution, and if possible, an opportunity for closure."

Visitors to the mobile-friendly unsolved murder website will learn more about murder victims, including seeing their photos and short bios about who they were. Users can also submit photos, videos, audio recordings and tips.

Tips can be submitted anonymously. Tipsters can also email or call in information that could help solve murders.

A standing $20,000 cash reward is in place for tipsters who give information leading to the arrest and conviction of a murderer, police said. 

"We are committed to identifying the people who are responsible for taking another person’s life," Coulter said. "Identifying them is a critical step in a path toward justice."

The site launched Thursday with the most recent unsolved murders from the past couple of years. The department plans to add older unsolved killings later.

The need to bring killers to justice in Philadelphia is greater than the national average. Last year, about 60% of killers in Philly remained on the loose, WHYY reported. That means only about 40% of the 315 murders in 2018 were cleared, meaning an arrest was made, by year's end.

Nationally, around 60% of murders are cleared annually.

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