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����vlog EIGHT NEWS AT SIX. MORE THAN 400 IOWA FAMILIES ARE WAITING FOR ANSWERS IN A LOVED ONES UNSOLVED MURDER. RIGHT NOW, IOWA’S NEW COLD CASE UNIT IS COMBING THROUGH CASES TO DECIDE TO DECIDE WHICH ONES THEY’LL TRY TO SOLVE. IN A SPECIAL REPORT, ����vlog’S LAURA TERRELL GOT AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NEW UNIT AND SHE TALKED WITH A FAMILY WAITING FOR ANSWERS FOR 25 YEARS. MY MOM WAS FIVE ONE. SHE JUMPED OUT OF AN AIRPLANE FOUR TIMES. SHE WAS A THRILL SEEKER. SHE PLAYED RACQUETBALL. LEE CRAWFORD REMEMBERS HIS MOM AS SPUNKY AND FULL OF ENERGY. HER GREATEST THRILL, THOUGH, WAS BECOMING A GRANDMOTHER TO HIS SON, TYLER. SHE HAD LIKE ALL ALL OF HIS CHRISTMAS PRESENTS UNDERNEATH THE TREE. BOBBIE CRAWFORD NEVER GOT TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS THAT YEAR. THE 53 YEAR OLD WAS FOUND DEAD FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA IN HER HAMPTON HOME ON NOVEMBER 17TH, 1999. IT WAS ACTUALLY MY THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL THAT LET ME KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. LEE AND HIS YOUNG FAMILY LIVED IN SIGOURNEY, WHERE HE STILL TEACHES AND WORKS AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR. AFTER GETTING THE NEWS, THEY PACKED UP THEIR ONE YEAR OLD SON TO MAKE THE THREE HOUR DRIVE TO HAMPTON. WE REFERENCED THAT TO THE DRIVE FROM HELL BECAUSE YOUR MIND IS RACING FOR ONE. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON BACK IN HAMPTON. NEIGHBORS STARTED REALIZING BOBBY’S YELLOW HOME WAS A CRIME SCENE. HER HOUSE WAS ROPED OFF, YOU KNOW, WITH THE YELLOW TAPE AROUND IT. JERRY MEYER STILL LIVES TWO HOUSES DOWN AND REMEMBERS POLICE QUESTIONING HIM 25 YEARS AGO. I SAID I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT. SO HOW SHOCKING WAS THAT TO YOU? WELL, IT WAS REALLY SHOCKING BECAUSE IT’S KIND OF SCARY WHEN IT’S YOUR NEIGHBOR, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT’S HAPPENED TO YOU. MAKES YOU WONDER IF YOU MIGHT BE THE NEXT ONE YOU DON’T KNOW. RUMORS YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING. AND THEN IT COMES UPON THE NEWS. THE TIME IT CAME OUT ON EVERY CHANNEL. THAT WAS THEIR LEAD STORY WAS MY HOUSE. HAMPTON. POLICE SAY BOBBY WAS NOT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND THERE WAS NO THEFT. IT APPEARED SOMEONE BROKE IN JUST TO KILL HER. A POSTER IS STILL ON THE FRONT OF IT. HERE’S ONE OF THE BINDERS FROM THE ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION IN 1999. HAMPTON POLICE CHIEF MARK MORRISON KEEPS THESE CASE FILES RIGHT NEXT TO HIS DESK. A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR AT THE TIME OF THE CRIME, HE’S NOW INHERITED THE 25 YEAR OLD MYSTERY. OUR HOPE IS TO GET RESOLVED FOR THE FAMILY. CHIEF MORRISON RECENTLY CONTACTED IOWA’S NEW COLD CASE UNIT, ASKING THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT BOBBY CRAWFORD’S CASE. IT’S INVALUABLE BECAUSE SMALL TOWNS DON’T ALWAYS HAVE THE MANPOWER TO DIG THROUGH THESE CASES THAT ARE 25 YEARS OLD. CAN SOLVE EVEN JUST ONE CASE. ATTORNEY GENERAL BRENNA BIRD ANNOUNCED THE COLD CASE UNIT IN JUNE, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE HEARING FROM THE PEOPLE RUNNING IT. I’VE BEEN A PROSECUTOR SINCE 1991. SCOTT BROWN HAS PROSECUTED IOWA’S MOST HIGH PROFILE MURDERS, BUT HE RECENTLY STEPPED AWAY AS A SUPERVISOR TO LEAD IOWA’S NEW COLD CASE UNIT. WHY IS WORKING ON COLD CASES IMPORTANT TO YOU? TO TRY TO GIVE ANSWERS TO PEOPLE TO SERVE OTHERS. TO TRY TO DO THE RIGHT THING. ALL THOSE THINGS. ALL THOSE REASONS WHY I’M A PROSECUTOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. REALLY IS UNDERSCORED BY WORKING ON COLD CASES. STEVE PONSETTO, A RETIRED DCI AGENT, IS THE COLD CASE UNIT’S LEAD INVESTIGATOR. HE HELPED CATCH IOWA’S SERIAL KILLER, DONALD PIPER, IN THE 90S. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST REASON WHY CASES RUN COLD? THAT VARIES. I MEAN, THERE’S NEVER A LACK OF EFFORT TO WORK THESE CASES FROM THE GET GO. THESE AGENCIES, THESE OFFICERS, WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO SOLVE THESE CASES AND BRING SOME RESOLUTION TO IT. PONSETTO AND BROWN HIRED THREE INVESTIGATORS TO COMPLETE THE UNIT. A RETIRED DCI AGENT, A RETIRED FBI AGENT, AND A RETIRED LOCAL POLICE OFFICER. ALL THREE KNOWN FOR THEIR ABILITY TO SOLVE CRIMES AND NOTICE DETAILS IN COLD CASES, YOU CAN HAVE A ROOM FULL OF PAPER AND A ROOM FULL OF EVIDENCE TO GO THROUGH, AND YOU HAVE TO BE ORGANIZED. YOU HAVE TO BE FOCUSED ON THOSE THINGS. THE UNIT IS NOW METICULOUSLY GOING THROUGH UNSOLVED CASES AND HAS NOT YET DECIDED WHICH ONES THEY WILL TAKE ON. WITH OVER 400 CASES, YOU CAN’T CHASE THEM ALL, SO YOU GOT TO PRIORITIZE THEM. WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE ALL 400 CASES THAT ARE OUT THERE, BUT WE’RE HOPING TO SOLVE THE FIRST ONE. BOBBY CRAWFORD’S FAMILY IS HOPEFUL HERS IS ONE THEY WILL CONSIDER. IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO HAVE SOME SOME TYPE OF CLOSURE. LEE KNOWS ANSWERS WILL NEVER BRING BACK TIME. HE HAS TWO GROWN SONS NOW WHO WILL NEVER KNOW THEIR GRANDMA. SHE WOULD HAVE LOVED ON THEM MORE THAN ANYTHING. AND WE’VE WE. YOU CAN’T REPLACE THAT. EVEN IF HIS MOM’S MURDER IS NEVER SOLVED, LEE IS HOPEFUL THE COLD CASE UNIT WILL BRING CLOSURE TO OTHER IOWA FAMILIES. I WOULD IMAGINE THE FIRST ONE THEY SOLVE AND THEY PUT ALL THE HOURS AND HOURS INTO THAT CASE. THE MOMENT THEY GET IT SOLVED AND FIND THAT NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK, THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT, OF LOT OF FANS IN THEIR CORNER. IT’S GOING TO BE WORTH IT. AND THE COLD CASE UNIT IS AN ASSISTING AGENCY. SO LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS TO REQUEST THEIR HELP. THE UNIT SAYS NUMEROUS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES HAVE CURRENTLY REACHED OUT TO ASK FOR THAT HELP. IN T