BELLEVILLE - The Illinois State Police (ISP) and students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) have partnered to solve several cold cases in the region.
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The partnership started in 2022. SIUE Criminal Justice students worked with ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 6 special agents to identify three women who were killed by serial killer Maury Travis in 2002. Their work also led to charges against Alan Davis for the murder of Truman Smith in 2011.
“It's one thing to study in the classroom. It’s another thing entirely to see your work bring real answers and real closure to a grieving family,” said Ryleigh Franklin, an SIUE graduate involved in the program.
Each semester, SIUE students review cold cases and choose to focus on ones they believe they can help solve. Students have also created a “Murder Book” with searchable information for cold homicide cases in the Metro East.
The three Jane Does, believed to be victims of Maury Travis, were a priority for these students. ISP entered all three cases in the National Missing and Unidentified Person System and oversaw the completion of DNA analysis at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.
Then, SIUE students reviewed the cases and worked closely with the Columbia Police Department, the FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department, and others to lead to the identification of all three women. Kelly Johnson, Crystal Lay and Carol Jean Hemphill are the three missing women.
“They presented their cases to our team, and that team renewed their investigations and ultimately named two women whose identities had been hidden for decades,” explained Dr. Trish Oberweis, SIUE professor of Criminal Justice Studies. “The collaboration leverages talent from multiple state entities and creates a novel, hands-on learning experience that has real-world implications.”
Students and ISP special agents also looked into the murder of Truman Smith, which eventually led to charges against Alan Davis for First Degree Murder.
ISP Director Brendan Kelly echoed Oberweis, noting that the students received “firsthand, real-world experience” investigating criminal cases. He hopes many of these students will become “the next generation” of investigators and law enforcement.
“Every case is important. Every case has a victim,” Kelly said. “There are new cases coming in every day that our special agents in this zone work and our amazing forensic scientists here in this building work every day. But they truly never forget about those ones that still remain unsolved.”
For the SIUE students, the experience has helped them grow in their criminal justice studies. Franklin added that she will always hold these cases close to her.
“Knowing I played a small role in helping return names to these women who were unidentified for so long is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life,” she said.
