True crime is a phenomenon captivating Americans right now with podcasts such as Mommy Doomsday, Dr. Death and Murdaugh Murders. In 2021, more than half of the top ten Apple podcasts were part of this genre.
These content creators have plenty of cold cases to explore. The 2019 FBI Uniform Crime Report (the most recent year for which data are available) shows that more than a third of murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases go without an arrest.
Three IU alumni are working to transform this fascination with hearing about true crime into action and advocacy. They want to help clear some of these cases and give closure to families of victims.
Uncovered, their company, features public information on over 47,000 missing and murder cases in addition to articles helping “citizen detectives” in their searches.
IU Angel Network invested $120,000 in Uncovered last month, according to a press release from IU Ventures, an organization that connects companies of IU alumni with IU- affiliated investors.
Ashlee Fujawa, co-founder and head of community at Uncovered, says Angel Network’s investment will help the new company further grow its database and hire new developers.
Uncovered already has aided in a breakthrough of at least one cold case in Texas and features the finds in a multi-part. Uncovered worked with a family advocate to remains that are currently undergoing forensic testing.
“That’s great resolution for the family, unfortunately it has a sad outcome, but it is a resolution” Fujawa said Tuesday. “And, it shows that collective impact and community involvement and making sure that we continue talking about these cases even though they have gone cold.”