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Over 10 cold cases remain unsolved
Over 10 cold cases remain unsolved in the CNMI. The Department of Public Safety said it continues to welcome leads that could possibly result in the closure of these cases.
DPS Commissioner Robert Guerrero said that there are over 10 missing person cases that are still open that have gone cold over the years.
Despite this, Guerrero said the department still welcomes any leads that could bring them closer to solving these cases.
“Those cases are still open and any leads that pop up, we look into it, just as any cold case that we have,” he said.
“Unfortunately there hasn’t been much [leads] lately, like other cases that have gone cold in the past,” he said.
Guerrero said the number of cold cases in the Commonwealth date as far back as the 1990s.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, a few of the high profile missing person cases that have gone cold include the disappearance of former Office of the Public Defender lawyer Jamal Saleh, siblings Faloma and Maleina Luhk, Japanese sisters Natsuki and Chinatsu Yamada, and more.
The most recent unsolved missing person case in the CNMI is the case of John J. Jones who went missing on Nov. 18 after diving at the Grotto with his companions. The search was called off after 72 hours.
Saleh was reported missing on Oct 4, 2017. DPS reported that Saleh went for a walk at 1:30am on Oct. 3 2017, and was not heard of since.
The Luhk siblings went missing in May 25, 2011, near a bus stop pavilion in As Teo. The sisters were 9 and 10 years old when they went missing and their disappearance resulted in the most extensive islandwide search in the CNMI’s history, with the FBI, along with local law enforcers and civilian volunteers, taking part.
The Yamada sisters went missing in June 2014 during a trip to Saipan. Since then, Hideki and Kozue Yamada, the parents of the missing women, have been constantly returning to get an update on the case of their missing daughters.
Individuals who may have and leads to any of the unsolved cases of the CNMI are urged to contact DPS or CNMI Crime Stoppers.
