TCSO Task Force Making Progress On 18-Year-Old Cold Case

Months after the sheriff’s office started it’s Cold Case Task Force, there could be a break in an 18-year-old cold case.

The task force has 28 cold cases needing to be solved; Dena Dean is one of them.

She was found dead back in 1998, but with extra help, investigators expect to close the case soon.

"My advice to the perpetrator would be, don't buy any green bananas," said forensic profiler, Dr. Richard Walter.

Walter is a member of the Vidocq society, a group of experts dedicated to solving cold cases.

He's also the newest member of the task force, but he's not sharing specifics about the Dean case.

"Do I expect some success in this case, yes. Why? Because the perp made some mistakes," Walter said.

He has been in the crime solving business for nearly 40 years, and his skill on suspect behavior will hold value as the task force moves forward.

Walter said, "I showed them some different schemes and ways to look at things and trying to the risk of error out."

As the months go by and the cold cases sit, more experts are volunteering.

6/6/2016 Related Story: Tulsa County Sheriff Announces New Cold Case Task Force

Sergeant Mike Huff said DNA, ballistics and crime scene experts have also joined. Soon they'll have a blood spatter expert.

"People are really excited about this. People really want to have an opportunity to kind of give back," Huff said.

The sergeant said solving the cases won't be easy, but with a growing roster of experts, he's optimistic.

"Some of these families are seeing the potential for light at the end of the tunnel," said Huff.

All of the task force members work voluntarily, so it's a non-paid job to work on solving the cases.