Victims group expands, evolves
By TOM GIAMBRONI LISBON - When Belinda Puchajda founded Columbiana County Families of Homicide Victims in 2006, it was in response to the lack of progress investigators were making in finding her cousin's killer.
"We are the voice for the ones have lost theirs. How many more do there need to be before one gets solved. We need justice, and you need protection," reads a statement on the group's Web site.
Four years later, Puchajda said the organization has grown beyond its original mission of drawing attention to the number of unsolved murders/questionable deaths/missing persons cases in the county, to one that seeks to not only help investigators solve these crimes but provide assistance to the families.
"We're moving in a different direction," Puchajda told Columbiana County commissioners in a presentation made during a recent board meeting.
"Our goal wasn't to make any law enforcement agency look bad by bringing this out. We just wanted to keep it in the public eye so people realize they (cases) are still unsolved," she said.
Puchajda's cousin, Mike Williams, was beaten to death near his Rogers-area home in 2005. His case remains unsolved, one of many dating back 41 years that are posted on the organization's Web site - www.victimsofhomicide.blogspot.com.
The group admittedly rubbed some law enforcement agencies the wrong way at first because the implication was they weren't doing enough to solve these cases. Puchajda said that attitude changed over time as they began forging a working relationship with local law enforcement and became more familiar with how the criminal justice system works compared to what you see on television.
"We learned everyone's job is a lot harder than what we thought," she said.
They learned, among other things, local police departments and the county sheriff's office do what they can with the limited resources they have and that they are at the mercy of the state crime lab, where it often can take up to a year to get the results back on tests the county coroner needs before the cause of death can be determined.
Puchajda said their relationship has grown to the point where they frequently share information about cases with investigators received from people who are unwilling or reluctant to speak directly with police.
In addition to serving as a source of potential leads, Puchajda said the organization has begun focusing on becoming a place where a victim's family can turn for help. While the organization is not yet equipped to provide direct assistance, she said they can tell the family what type of help is available and whom to contact.
"There's just not 30 victims, there's 30 victims and their families," she said.
tgiambroni@mojonews.com
"We are the voice for the ones have lost theirs. How many more do there need to be before one gets solved. We need justice, and you need protection," reads a statement on the group's Web site.
Four years later, Puchajda said the organization has grown beyond its original mission of drawing attention to the number of unsolved murders/questionable deaths/missing persons cases in the county, to one that seeks to not only help investigators solve these crimes but provide assistance to the families.
"We're moving in a different direction," Puchajda told Columbiana County commissioners in a presentation made during a recent board meeting.
"Our goal wasn't to make any law enforcement agency look bad by bringing this out. We just wanted to keep it in the public eye so people realize they (cases) are still unsolved," she said.
Puchajda's cousin, Mike Williams, was beaten to death near his Rogers-area home in 2005. His case remains unsolved, one of many dating back 41 years that are posted on the organization's Web site - www.victimsofhomicide.blogspot.com.
The group admittedly rubbed some law enforcement agencies the wrong way at first because the implication was they weren't doing enough to solve these cases. Puchajda said that attitude changed over time as they began forging a working relationship with local law enforcement and became more familiar with how the criminal justice system works compared to what you see on television.
"We learned everyone's job is a lot harder than what we thought," she said.
They learned, among other things, local police departments and the county sheriff's office do what they can with the limited resources they have and that they are at the mercy of the state crime lab, where it often can take up to a year to get the results back on tests the county coroner needs before the cause of death can be determined.
Puchajda said their relationship has grown to the point where they frequently share information about cases with investigators received from people who are unwilling or reluctant to speak directly with police.
In addition to serving as a source of potential leads, Puchajda said the organization has begun focusing on becoming a place where a victim's family can turn for help. While the organization is not yet equipped to provide direct assistance, she said they can tell the family what type of help is available and whom to contact.
"There's just not 30 victims, there's 30 victims and their families," she said.
tgiambroni@mojonews.com
No comments:
Post a Comment