The cold case unit

Members of of the Cold Case Volunteer Services pose together during their meeting at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Ocala on March 8. Top, from left: Alva Kinsey, Mike Thompson, Harry Carlile, Ken Featherling, Garry Ferguson, retired Judge John Futch and Tim Richie. Bottom, from left: Jim Phillips, Francine Wolff, Karen Combs, Jerry Combs, Larry Kincaid and Marion County Sheriff’s Office Detective Daniel Pinder. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Marion County residents can be assured that police investigators are not putting so-called “cold cases” on the shelf or in storage somewhere, to be forgotten for eternity. A group of volunteer retired professionals and investigators, working under the auspices of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, spend hours each month trying to make sure criminals don’t get away with murder.

The cases reviewed by the Cold Case Unit have been investigated to a point at which the detectives originally assigned to them have no remaining tangible leads. The unit works on the premise that a case is never unsolvable. The volunteers work use whatever means at their disposal to bring each case to completion. As more tools and new methodologies are developed, they are applied to the cases. 

The Cold Case Unit meets monthly to discuss assigned cases with one another in hopes of turning up any new leads or information.

Detective Daniel Pinder, the liaison between the team and the sheriff’s office, assigns the cases in groups not smaller than two to allow different perspectives to emerge. Cases are not assigned according to oldest cases first but by possible leads. An investigative team concept is used, meaning the cases are reviewed by all unit members for further suggestions. For example, a new method of analysis might be available now to be applied to the evidence.

Only if a case is solved, or if all of the persons involved in the case have passed away—including the alleged perpetrator, and no one else could reasonably be considered a suspect–will the case be considered closed.

“The first concern of the unit after a case is solved is to inform the family…to bring closure to them,” said Jim Phillips, chairman of the CCU, and a retired Marion County prosecutor. Phillips has been with the unit since its inception in 2005.

The Cold Case Unit are all retired law enforcement professionals who have previously worked in some area of government. Most are residents of Marion County, but others are from various other counties in Florida and other states. 

Gary Ferguson, formerly of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office serves as co-chairman of the Cold Case Unit; and other members include Mike Thompson, formerly an investigator with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office in Gainesville; Harry Carlile, formerly an investigator with the FBI in Clarksburg, West Virginia; Tim Richie, deputy, Marion County Sheriff’s Dept.; Karen Combs, State Attorney’s Office in Ocala; Gerry Combs, deputy, Marion County Sheriff’s Dept.; Ken Featherline, police officer, Columbus, OH; Larry Kincaid, police officer and homicide detective, Dayton, OH, Police Dept.; Alva Kinsey, deputy, Marion County Sheriff’s Dept., and John Futch, a retired Marion County judge.               

Valerie Strong, public information officer with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, has created and maintains a “Unsolved Homicide” board for the Cold Case Unit. It has pictures of all cold cases in Marion County, along with brief pertinent information. There are 28 victims’ pictures on the board, including one of a case that has been solved (Ronnie Damon).

Francine Wolff, who has been with the unit since its first meeting, is the group’s secretary. She is 95 and worked for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for many years. “I love the guys I work with,’’ she said. “When we can get closure on a case, to let people know what happened to their loved ones, it is a very good feeling.”

“We are grateful to these volunteers who help continue to investigate these cases and help bring closure to the victims and their families,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said, adding, “I am very proud of the success they have had so far, and look forward to more successful closures of these cold cases.”

Editor’s note: The Ocala Gazette is embarking on a special project to shine new light on old cases in Marion County not only to keep the victims from being forgotten but also to perhaps jog memories among members of the public. Any small detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, could prove to be the missing piece that completes the puzzle and brings a perpetrator to justice—and comfort to a grieving family.