EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The state of Rhode Island has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant that will fund efforts to solve cold cases .
The money will go toward R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha’s “Closure Project” and help improve methods used to investigate these cases and analyze DNA.
“Cold cases tend to be unique in their complexity, and yet they all have at least one thing in common: delayed justice for victims and their loved ones,” Neronha said Wednesday. “New scientific and investigatory advancements have reignited hope in the hearts of those waiting years, sometimes decades, for answers.”
The R.I. Department of Health will also receive some of the funding to increase its capacity for DNA analysis, officials said.
This grant is coming from the U.S. Department of Justice Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Program. It was announced by all four members of the state’s congressional delegation, who said the funding will help make the state safer and bring closure to victims’ families.