It’s hard to have much hope that the cases of 14 women between the ages of 14 and 35 who have gone missing, been murdered or whose remains can’t be identified will ever be solved.

But we have to give credit to the law enforcement officers who keep grinding over evidence trying to bring closure for their families.

The $100,000 secured in the 2024 federal budget by Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-23, will help Sheriff Jim Quattrone and cold case investigators Tom Tarpley and Tom DiZinno in their efforts.

“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.”

These cases are difficult to pursue. Often, the police officers who initially investigated the cases are retired or have passed away. Paperwork becomes hard to find, especially if the original department where the case was investigated closes. Witnesses pass away, making it difficult to piece together a case.

But the families Quattrone mentioned deserve our best effort to solve these cases. As long as they’re have unanswered questions about their loved ones, our police agencies should continue to do all they can to provide answers.