by CWS

We at Hunt A Killer are finally ready to announce our partnership with the Cold Case Foundation, an incredible non-profit organization that works to fund the solving of cold cases and support family members who have experienced this type of profound loss. Our partnership just made sense; although we create fictional murder mysteries, we recognize the impact that real-life homicides and other violent crimes have on families and communities, and we’d like to do our part to help provide closure for those affected and to prevent violent offenders from causing more harm. We invite you to be a part of that process along with us: for every box mailed, HaK will donate a portion of the proceeds directly to the Cold Case Foundation.

“We’re excited to implement this social good into the DNA of our brand experience because we know that it not only resonates deeply with our members but also adheres perfectly to our company culture," said our co-founder and CEO Ryan Hogan. We’ve created a simple, socially conscious avenue for people to make a direct influence on true crime issues through a fictional immersive experience.”

The CCF does more than just give funding to cold murder cases. They also give resources to any case involving murder, missing persons, unidentified bodies, and serial rape/sexual assault and they do so through a variety of funding, consulting, training, networking, and victim support.

The Cold Case Foundation website reads:

“A disturbing study of FBI records found that since 1995 the national average of solved homicides in the United States is only about 64%— leaving 36% of murders unsolved annually. This mound of unsolved Cold Case murders has a compounding financial and workload effect on police departments and the respective personnel assigned to work them.

 And the primary key to solving them is the conditional factor that they must be WORKED. It is not for lack of interest that cases turn cold and are sometimes seemingly forgotten; they are never forgotten by the victims, their families, or by the investigators who have worked them.  We must ensure that a Cold Case is never at the mercy of insufficient funding or otherwise available resources.  Law Enforcement’s need to resolve Cold Cases is ever present, but the resources and budget to solve these violent crimes are not.”

It is a disturbing reality that so many murder cases go unsolved year after year. These cases may go cold, but that doesn’t mean there is no hope in solving them. Just look at the Golden State Killer. He was just caught after 30 years and was responsible for at least 12 murders and 50 rapes. These cases can be solved, but our help is needed.  

The Chairman of the Board of the CCF is none other than the legendary criminal profiler John E. Douglas, the man whose memoirs inspired the Netflix series Mindhunter, as well as Agent Jack Crawford’s character in The Silence of the Lambs. John has spent his career getting into the minds of both predators and victims, to understand serial homicide in every possible way.

The CCF website states that John “has confronted, interviewed, and studied dozens of serial killers and assassins for a landmark study — including Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Richard Speck, John Wayne Gacy, “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz, and James Earl Ray — to get inside their minds and to understand their motives, motivations and methods.”

John was a key consultant who was able to help free the West Memphis Three. He has worked the Green River Killer case, the Jon Benet Ramsey case, the Amanda Knox case, and the Green River Killer case. He even created the first psychological profile for the Unabomber, which was ignored by those working the case, however, the profile proved to be 85% correct in its predictions. John knows the world of homicide in and out, from each and every angle.

Solving cold cases is of dire importance, both to keep violent offenders from creating more victims and to provide much needed closure for families. But families that have experienced this type of violent loss need more than closure; they need serious emotional and professional support. The CCF has a diverse range of services and support, and a refreshing focus on healing:

Through our network at the Cold Case Foundation, we provide resources on the grieving process, stress management suicide prevention, victim prevention & advocate training. In addition we provide retreats and conferences that are designed to support and empower victim’s family members & friends to be more than just survivors, but rather advocates and consults. 

Who is better equipped to provide vital insight and understanding to those tasked with solving a case than victims or their family and friends?  Far too often these people can be overlooked or marginalized because they are either emotionally overwhelmed or they do not understand the goals and objectives of those investigating the case.  At times, those in law enforcement have overwhelming case loads that keep them from being able to build the relational capitol needed to gain the trust and confidence from the survivors. The CCF is able to provide a network of resources that is able to support and prepare survivors for their vital role as victim resource advocates and consultants.   

Survivors are empowered to move from the role of victims to key consultants assisting law enforcement to reach their shared goal of a closed case.

We are hoping to spread the word of our new partnership to as many people as we can, because the more members we have, the more we can donate. We’ve wanted to make a partnership like this work for a long time, and we have to say, we couldn’t have found a more appropriate, holistic, and well-rounded organization to support. 

Since the arrest of the Golden State Killer, there has definitely been a feeling of possibility opening up in our true crime communities. Maybe together we really can take this strange passion we have for true crime and turn it into real results for affected families and for our society at large. And if you could have the enjoyment of a good mystery challenge along the way, well, all the better we believe. We hope you are as excited as we are to contribute to cold cases, to hunting serial killers and other violent offenders both in our immersive Hunt A Killer world, as well as the real world, where unfortunately, there is no shortage of unsolved cases that need attention.

If you want to donate additional funds or volunteer for the Cold Case Foundation, visit their website here. Help us spread the word about this new partnership by using the hashtag #HaKGives.