Bristol County's Cold Case Unit has a new missing person project

BRISTOL - The Bristol County District Attorney is making a new push to find people who have vanished.

District Attorney Thomas Quinn said its Cold Case Unit will begin a "Missing Person Project." The unit will use forensic technologies including DNA testing in order to try to solve cases of people who have disappeared without a trace over the past 50 years.

"Finding missing persons and unidentified bodies is part of our ongoing Cold Case initiative. We are trying to locate each and every one of these missing persons in order to bring some closure to families and friends who have been searching for their loved ones for years," District Attorney Quinn said.

WBZ's I-Team highlighted one of those cases earlier this summer. Debbie Melo has not been seen since June of 2000.

Debbie's husband Luis told police he had driven his wife to a doctor's appointment. The couple got into an argument, and he let her out of the car on Route 18 in Weymouth.

District Attorney Quinn's Cold Case Unit has been bringing charges in homicide and violent sexual assaults cases dating back more than 30 years.

"Our Cold Case Unit has been successful in solving multiple cold case homicides and previously unsolved violent sexual assaults," District Attorney Quinn said.

Most recently, District Attorney Quinn announced the indictment of David Reed for the 2001 cold case homicide of his half-sister, Rose Marie Moniz, in New Bedford.  

District Attorney Quinn said they are expanding their efforts to focus on missing persons and unidentified remains.

"It is also likely that in some of these cases, people have gone missing as a result of foul play and criminal conduct. At the heart of our mission is bringing justice to victims," District Attorney Quinn said.