As of January 16, 2007 there were 9,082 unsolved murders in New York since 1985. To get an estimate of the current total I added up the murders from 2007 – 2009 (2007: 496, 2008: 523, 2009: 471) and then using the most optimistic clearance rates (67%) the current number of unsolved murders in New York since 1985 would be 9,574. (Nationally, 36.4% of all murders go unsolved as of the latest data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports).

I noticed an amazing fact while I was browsing the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports—in 2008 there were more white murder victims than black. Figures for 2009 haven’t been released yet, but I believe this might be the first year where there were more white victims.