Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- The Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force seeks nonprofit funding for unsolved cases.
- The task force uses advanced technology like M-VAC to analyze evidence.
- Investigators focus on a 2016 South Ogden case, urging public assistance.
OGDEN — A conference room inside the Weber County Attorney's Office is now dedicated to the new Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force, where investigators have gathered files for 29 homicides that remain unsolved.
"We're trying to get justice for not only our victims, but for families that need answers," Steve Haney, an investigator with the Weber County Attorney's Office, said.
Haney is one of 15 detectives from various agencies that make up the new task force. The organization also has 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, which Haney said will help it take a unique approach toward funding. The task force will seek donations from businesses and individuals to help utilize high-tech resources.
"Technology is growing by leaps and bounds, especially in this field," Haney said. "But that costs money. We're talking like up to $2,000 or more (for) a sample to be tested."
Haney pointed to a newer technology known as Microbial-Vac, or M-VAC, which is a wet vacuum that extracts DNA from particles of evidence. Haney believes M-VAC and other newer resources could breathe new life into unsolved cases.
Right now, Haney and his team are focusing on a South Ogden cold case from December 2016, when 24-year-old Cyle Vankomen and 61-year-old Kevin Nelson were shot and killed inside a home on Ogden Avenue. A third victim was shot behind the house but survived.
Initially, detectives had obtained surveillance video from a neighbor's DVR that showed three suspects lurking around the front and back of the house. Thanks to the FBI's Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Haney said they now have access to 90 days of the DVR footage. Detectives are painstakingly analyzing every bit of it.
"Most likely these guys had been there before," Haney said. "We could possibly see them on that footage."
Haney believes the added video evidence will help them finally find suspects in the shooting. Investigators would also like to hear from anyone who might have information that could help with the case. He can be reached at 801-399-8618, or investigator Vince Zaccardi can be reached at 801-399-8594.
Donations for the task force can also be made through the Weber County Attorney's Office.
