‘Somebody Knows Something,’ Elgin Police Department Takes On Decades-Old Cold Cases In Their Podcast

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
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**Sasha Ann Simons** (0:15)
I'm your host, Sasha Ann Simons, and this is Reset.
Forget Netflix and all your other true crime podcast faves. Now, Elgin Police are stepping up to the mic, and they want you to listen up. Because get this, the department is reopening decades-old cold cases that took place in the Northwest suburb. And not only are they working to solve the cases, they're documenting these efforts in a podcast. It's called Somebody Knows Something. And boy, are they letting us in on what really goes on behind the scenes of murder investigations. At the table, we had Elgin Police Department Chief Ana Lalley, Detectives Christopher Hall and Andrew Houghton, and Sergeant Matt Vartanian. Our panel helped us understand what makes a case cold, how these investigations work, and we dug into how the podcast highlights personal stories of the victims and the loved ones they left behind. Now, Chief Lalley created the Elgin Police Department's cold case unit back in May 2024, and this is not something that all police departments have. The Chief started us off by explaining why she created this in the first place.

**Ana Lalley** (1:31)
Very high level, quick. 2024 decided to start a cold case unit. It was something that I wanted to do for a very long time, and eventually I was able to get the resources and what we need to establish that unit, and getting the right people in the unit. So first, you know, Andrew and Matt, and now Chris. So and the core of why we do it, and most importantly, you know, why the podcast? Why are we using that avenue? Why are we using that sort of media to connect and engage with our community and beyond? It's for the families. It's truly to give a sense of peace. You know, I've said many times, I can't say what closure is for someone because that's very relative and it's very personal. But what we can do at least is try to give a sense of peace and comfort because if you had a loved one and in particular with the Karen Schepers case, 40 plus years where the question is in your mind, what happened? It would be absolutely maddening to not know the answer. And I think as law enforcement today, it's an obligation and responsibility that we put the time, dedicate the right effort, dedicate the right resources so that families can get a sense of peace. And so we truly are doing it for that.
You know, the awards and accolades and all that comes with that. That's just the extra. And when you talk to the detectives today, you're going to see that these are people who truly care. So starting that unit, it was important that we do it the right way.

**Sasha Ann Simons** (3:00)
And were there that many cold cases to warrant the creation of a unit last year?

**Ana Lalley** (3:05)
Absolutely. Yeah, so over 40 cold cases. And some of these cases have been sitting for 40 years. And so timeliness, time is of the essence. And I think it's important that you get the right people. So you can have the best technical police officer. So they know their job, they know how to interview, they know investigative skills and techniques. But if you are missing that human element, that empathy that you show people, you miss the mark. And so getting the right people. And when you talk to these guys, it's going to come through. I mean, truly genuine. I have nothing but the success of that unit. You know, it's not me, it's them, right? I'm just there in the background, giving them what they need, supporting them. And then they just take it and run and have done a phenomenal job.

**Sasha Ann Simons** (3:50)
That's wonderful. And before we hear from the sergeant and the detectives, I need you to tell me, Ana, what exactly makes a case cold?

**Ana Lalley** (3:58)
Yeah. So for us, it's anything past three years that we haven't...

**Sasha Ann Simons** (4:02)
Three years.

**Ana Lalley** (4:02)
Three years. For we have decided that's the mark. So three years. So any missing person, any homicide cases, any sexual assault cases. So we're taking a look at all of those cases. And generally, as time has gone on in policing, technology has changed, the ability to solve cases have changed. So a lot of the cases are 40, 30, 40 years. And I remember as a sergeant in our detective division, which is when I started looking at these case files and thinking, what are we doing? We need to look at this. And there's families.