New website aims to bring new life to Milw. Co. cold cases

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office has launched a new website they hope will bring new life to cold cases. The website contains images of the bodies of numerous people in Milwaukee County that have been found, but never identified.

Dating back to 1970, there have been 17 bodies found in Milwaukee County that have never been identified. As many of the files relating to these deaths began to collect dust, Forensic Investigator Michael Simley, along with another investigator decided to put this information on the Unidentified People in Milwaukee County website, linked to the Medical Examiner's site, with the hope of finding some answers. "We're desperate to get these people identified. It has been decades upon decades, so that's why I put these kind of pictures out there. The whole reason I am doing this, is for families to get closure," Simley said.

Viewer discretion is advised before logging onto this website, as many of the pictures are graphic. The website contains information on the date, location and circumstances through which the body was found. There are also newspaper clippings and photos relating to the deaths. "Profile pictures, tattoo pictures, pictures of pocket contents, personal property, just to put all of this information out there to the public," Simley said.

In addition to the Medical Examiner's website, the information has also been loaded onto the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NAMUS. That website will reach even more poeple, with the ultimate goal of bringing peace of mind to those searching for loved ones, and paying respect to those lost. "I wouldn't want to be buried without a name. Everyone has a name, and they need to be recognized," Simley said.

The website was launched about a month ago, and so far, none of the bodies have yet been identified.