Front, from left, Chautauqua County Sheriff James B. Quattrone, U.S. Congressman Nick Langworthy and Katelyn Bush, daughter of 2004 murder victim Yolanda Bindics, back row, detectives, investigators and senior sheriff’s deputies who will be working the unsolved cases in the county. P J Photo by Christopher Blakeslee

For too long, the families of missing women in Chautauqua County have waited for justice.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone and U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy hopes federal funding will help end their wait.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office is receiving funding for its Abducted, Missing, Murdered, and Unidentified Women’s Initiative. The funds for this program were secured by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, as part of H. Res. 4366, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.

“Over the span of 45 years, 25 individuals have gone missing, murdered or remain unidentified,” said Langworthy. “Among them were 14 women, between the ages of 14 through 35. Their lives tragically cut short, their families left with unanswered questions and unimaginable pain.”

Langworthy then went on to speak about the various issues the Sheriff’s Office has had to overcome or will need to overcome, during its continued investigations with its caseload of unsolved (cold) cases.

“With the closure of 10 law enforcement agencies over the years, vital records have become inaccessible, exacerbating the difficulty of piecing together the puzzle of these cases,” he said. “Additionally, these cases span multiple agencies, further complicating efforts to gather essential data, evidence and reports.”

Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone elaborated on the team effort it’s going to take to crack some of these unsolved cases.

“This is truly a team effort, I appreciate the work of our investigators, Tom Tarpley and Tom Di Zinno and their supervisors,” he said. “I also have to thank the team members across the street, our county legislators and county executive who approved these positions.”

Quattrone then spoke about his hopes for the future and finding resolution for the family members of those who have gone missing or were murdered.

“We’re looking forward to the day when we can make announcements – where we can see some prosecutions on cases,” Quattrone said. “It’s really difficult for us to understand what the families are going through. They often drive our motivation to work on these cases (unsolved/cold) to come up with some type of resolution or answers. We can’t necessarily say closure, but maybe a little bit more of a peace of mind.”

In closing, Langworthy made a prophetic statement to those who may have perpetrated these crimes.

“Justice is coming,” he said. “No stone will be left unturned.”