Author and television producer Paul LaRosa started a blog this year called, The Murder Book 2008 [my link to it no longer works and I couldn’t find a new one], which he describes as “A record of all the murders in New York City in 2008 that appear in the city’s three daily newspapers.” I like that someone is keeping a running record like this, and it feels a tribute to the unfortunate dead. But the interesting thing he’s doing is, he’s going to compare the number of murders reported to the total number of murders. Who wasn’t deemed fit to print?

The picture is of Margaux Powers, and the post about her begins, “Margaux Powers, a 26-year-old white female (photo left with her father Michael), was found dismembered in her Chelsea apartment bathtub Saturday night, just hours before her boyfriend — Jonathan Smith, 34 — apparently jumped to his death from a building in lower Manhattan, according to a story in the Daily News.”

LaRosa also posts updates about the crimes and crime stats. FYI Paul and others: It’s often reported that reliable stats for murders in New York begin in 1963. It might be more accurate to say reliable stats kept by the NYPD. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner keeps their own record of all the deaths (and homicides) in New York. They include all homicides, including “justifiable homicides,” which the NYPD does not, but I believe they have reliable and accurate data.

When I first read the words “cold case playing cards” I immediately moved on. I thought they were like those serial killer cards, meant for entertainment. But this is actually a program that came out of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, and the cards are meant for inmates who might be able to provide tips. Apparently they got the idea from a Florida program (that was a joint project between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Corrections, Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers) that has had [link no longer active] some success.

I read about the program here (and that is also where the picture comes from).

I know detectives do get a lot of tips from inmates and cards with cases and information that might jog memories seems like a great idea.

Well, mostly. From a piece by Paul Payne in The Press Democrat. Bones ID’d in 44-year-old mystery: Skeleton of Mill Valley woman missing since 1964 unearthed from shallow grave in February.

“Gertrude Jones disappeared March 10, 1964 after a fight with her husband, longshoreman Bruce B. Jones, said Marin County Coroner Ken Holmes.

Her headless and handless remains were discovered in February by workers expanding the nearby Fernwood Cemetery, which backs up to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on Tennessee Valley Road.

A spine protruding from her tattered wool sweater led to the macabre find. She was buried less than 10 inches below the surface a few streets away from her home, Holmes said.”

The husband is suspect of course, but he died in 1987.

Full piece [link no longer active] here.

The Halton Regional Police (Canada) put up a video on YouTube offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the Ray Venerus homicide case (he was killed on February 21, 2007). I have say, that was a really smart and creative move, Halton Police. I’d love to hear how it goes. For more information, there’s an article here [link no longer works].

You can view the YouTube video here.