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Rhode Island Cold Cases

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Rhode Island Murders

If you would like to know more about the number of murders in Rhode Island by year, numerous law enforcement agencies have reports and statistics available on their webpages. Year after year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation produces and posts a Uniform Crime Report that analyzes general types of crimes and their relative crime rates for most cities and counties in every state across the United States. In addition to the FBI, Project: Cold Case offers multiple helpful tools on their website including a page with the number of unsolved murders per state over a 40-year period, and a growing database that currently holds the basic information for nearly 25,000 cold cases across the U.S. According to Project: Cold Case, there were 1,696 homicides in Rhode Island between 1980 and 2019. Around 1,089 of the killings have been solved throughout the years, leaving around 607 unsolved homicides in Rhode Island.

Some of the unsolved murders in northern Rhode Island include the 1994 murder of Megeann Paul, the 2015 murder of Stanley “Stosh” Stowik Sr., the 2011 murder of Ronny Almonte, the 2008 murder of Brandon Smith, the 1995 murder of Janine Callahan, and the 2000 murder of Kimberly Morse. The 1979 murder of Gino DiLorenzo, the 1991 murder of Christine Miller, the 1994 murder of Evelyn “Candy” Sanchez, the 2002 murder of Dawn Shippee, and the 1991 murder of Thomas Mortin are a few examples of some of the many unsolved central Rhode Island murders. Furthermore, some of the unsolved murders in Providence, Rhode Island, include the 2008 murder of Carl Seebeck, the 1991 murder of Wendy Lee Madden, the 1988 murder of Lauren Morris, and the 2008 murder of Edelmiro “Musu” Roman, among many others. Lastly, the 2008 murder of Carl Seebeck, the 1991 murder of Wendy Lee Madden, the 1988 murder of Lauren Morris, and the 2008 murder of Edelmiro “Musu” Roman are all examples of some unsolved murders in Providence County, Rhode Island.

Unsolved Rhode Island Murders

As previously mentioned, Project: Cold Case has proved to be a great resource for people interested in true crime for two main reasons. First is their growing database of nearly 25,000 unsolved murders that have taken place across the United States, and second is their comprehensive list of the number of homicides that occurred in each state in the U.S. from 1980-2019 along with their relative homicide clearance rates. As per Project: Cold Case’s statistics page, there are currently approximately 607 cold cases in Rhode Island. Many local, county, and a few state law enforcement agencies have compiled lists of unsolved killings in Rhode Island from their juristiction.

A popular category of unsolved crimes that you can find within various law enforcement websites is the large number of northern Rhode Island unsolved murders, which usually include the 1994 murder of Megeann Paul, the 2015 murder of Stanley “”Stosh”” Stowik, Sr., the 2011 murder of Ronny Almonte, the 2008 murder of Brandon Smith, the 2000 murder of Kimberly Morse, and the 1995 murder of Janine Callahan, among others. Another category of cases which are often included on law enforcement cold case websites are the few remaining unsolved murders Providence, Rhode Island, which include the 2000 murder of Kimberly Morse and the 2007 murder of Cynthia McKenna. Finally, the 1986 murder of Kathy Perry, the 2002 murder of Cynthia Kane, the 2006 murder of Juan “Carlos” Oquendo, the 1996 murder of Roberto Mendoza-Tinajero, the 1969 murder of Louise McMillen, and the 1980 murder of Diane Drake are a few examples of one of the final categories of unsolved murders Rhode Island, east Rhode Island unsolved murders.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous Rhode Island Murders

If you have a general interest in true crime, you are likely to have an interest in both solved and unsolved crimes, in which case you may frequently research specific cases which could be found on the list of all murders in Rhode Island, list of Rhode Island murders, or even within lists of murders in Rhode Island. In addition to unsolved and solved Rhode Island missing persons, suspicious deaths, and murders, you can also frequently find famous Rhode Island murders, notorious Rhode Island criminals, and sometimes even notorious Rhode Island serial killers. The 1997 suspicious death of Bryan Nisenfeld, the 1978 murder of Amon Jamiel, the 2000 murder of Kimberly Morse, the 1988 murder of Christina Cole, and the 1988 murder of Michelle Norris, among others, are among the most infamous unsolved Rhode Island murders.


Homicide Rate in Rhode Island

Based on the 2019 Uniform Crime Report (UCR) from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the violent crime rate in Rhode Island was about 221.1 for every 100,000 residents. In summary, this means that about 221 people for every 100,000 Rhode Islanders were directly affected by violent crime, meaning assault, murder, or sexual assault/rape, in 2019. Based on the same report, the Rhode Island murders rate the same year was sitting at 2.4 per 100,000 people, indicating that approximately 2 people for every 100,000 Rhode Islanders were murdered that year.

The capital of Rhode Island, Providence, has a current population of more than 179,000 inhabitants, according to the latest census. In 2018, the violent crime rate in Providence, Rhode Island, was sitting at approximately 454.57 per 100,000 residents, and the 2018 Providence, Rhode Island, murders rate was approximately a shocking 5.55 people per 100,000 residents. While there is still no way of accurately estimating how many murders in Rhode Island 2021 or how many murders in Providence, Rhode Island, 2021, after looking at archived Uniform Crime Reports, both the homicide rate and the violent crime rate in Providence and Rhode Island as a whole are continuously rising slowly year after year.


Providence County Murders

Providence County, Rhode Island, currently has a growing population of more than 638,000 total residents. While we don’t know exactly how many Providence County murders have been committed in recent years, we can estimate based on archived crime reports that the number and frequency of murders in Providence County, Rhode Island, has remained relatively stable over the years. In most of the county’s murder cases, investigators are able to gather a sufficient amount of Providence County murders evidence in order to charge their suspect with the crime before being able to take them to the Providence County murders trial. The evidence, which is most often presented in Providence County homicide trials, is always entirely dependent on the characteristics of the crime itself. This evidence can most commonly range from blood and other DNA evidence, to cell phone pings or other digital evidence, to weapons, but most often includes Providence County murders crime scene photos, which are usually utilized in order to show the jury the area around the crime as well as the location of any items of evidence.


Providence, Rhode Island, Murders

Given its size and population, Providence, Rhode Island, murders appear more common than those which are committed in most other cities in Rhode Island. Many of both the recent and decade-old murders in Providence, Rhode Island, have been solved and law enforcement continues to investigate the unsolved murders. Until these murders are cleared, Providence murders discussion is expected to persist on social media platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, and Websleuths, where users commonly gather in order to speculate and share various topics and types of information about Providence murders crime scene photos, Providence murders pictures, and even Providence, Rhode Island, murders autopsy photos, which are rarely released to members of the general public, even once a case has been solved and the case closes.

In the last few years, massive game-changing improvements in DNA technology have caused thousands of cold cases of various ages to be solved. Of course, Rhode Island murders are absolutely no different. A few examples of the several cases where Providence murders DNA as well as DNA from crimes in other parts of Rhode Island was used to solve or bring new information to cold cases include the 1988 murder of Christine Cole, the 1984 murder of Claire Hough, and the 2010 murder of Zackary Marshall, among few others.


Rhode Island Serial Killers

Throughout history, Rhode Island has been faced with more than its fair share of Rhode Island killers. Most well-known Rhode Island serial killers are usually included within various different types of serial killer list, such as a list of serial killers in Rhode Island or Rhode Island serial killer. Many of the most well-known or notorious Rhode Island serial killers who appear frequently on these lists include: Craig Price, also known as the “Rhode Island Serial Killer,” who murdered four women and girls in Warwick, Rhode Island, from 1987-1989; and Jeffrey Mailhot, who murdered at least three women in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, from 2003-2004.


Crimes in Rhode Island

If you’re interested in the various statistics of crimes in Rhode Island we’ve discussed, several local, state, and even federal law enforcement organizations create and release annual reports, which can be found on their websites, that highlight the different types of crimes in the area, each crime’s relative crime rate, and even the generalized location of each crime. These lists, of course, include a report for crime in Rhode Island. Tragically, it seems that the Rhode Island homicides and true crime stories in Rhode Island will never be completely brought to an end, but there is always hope. According to Project: Cold Case, there were approximately 1,696 homicides in Rhode Island between 1980 and 2019. Approximately 1,089 of these murders have been solved over the years, leaving around 607 unsolved murders in Rhode Island, showing law enforcement’s massive progress in the 40-year span of time. Even so, the different law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island are determined and persistent enough to solve all of Rhode Island’s true crimes, no matter how long it takes.

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Additional Rhode Island Cold Cases