Police hope artificial intelligence can help solve 1991 Cape May County cold case
CAPE MAY COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- Investigators are hoping new technology will help them solve a cold case from the 1990s.
The Middle Township Police Department and Cape May Prosecutor's Office will deploy to use artificial intelligence to investigate the case of Mark Himebaugh, who went missing in 1991 in Cape May County.
Police said Wednesday they entered into an agreement with Tabtu Corp and its service provider, Terawe, to use AI to assist in the case.
Law enforcement agencies have been using AI to help advance investigations, authorities said. They added AI has the ability to help find patterns in the case that might not be as apparent.
"I want to thank the Vollee team and Microsoft for partnering with us on this important project," Middle Township Police Chief Christopher Leusner said in a release. "It is important that we use every available resource and the latest technology to help us find Mark. My hope is this pilot program will help us solve Mark's case and be used as a model to help with other cold cases."
Two years ago, CBS Philadelphia's Joe Holden sat down with Himebaugh's mother, Maureen, as the case reached 30 years since her son disappeared.
Himebaugh lived in Del Haven, Cape May County, and went missing when he was 11 years old.
On Nov. 25, 1991, Himebaugh left home to watch a brush fire burning in the nearby marsh. that was the last time he was seen.
Fire police set up a detour on Himebaugh's street, which flooded the neighborhood with traffic and led to his alleged abduction.
"He was taken, but I don't know why. There's a lot of theories but I don't know why, what it was. That's why I'm hoping someone will come forward with that I'm hoping," Maureen Himebaugh said in 2021.