Dear Community,
I want to speak to you directly and transparently about where I have been, what I have been doing, and where TheColdCases.com is headed next.
When I stepped away from this platform, I know some of you may have thought I had walked away from the cold case community entirely. During that period, I had to step into the arena to stand up against people who were making life hell for close friends of mine in Oklahoma. I am a warrior by nature. I despise watching innocent people get torn down, and I will always stand in the gap for those who need defending. Many of you saw the raw, unfiltered side of me during that time. I don’t wear a mask, and I will never pretend to be someone I’m not.
What you may not have seen, however, was what God was doing behind the scenes.
During that season away, God placed it firmly on my heart to master the technical, deep-end realities of web development, data infrastructure, and system architecture. I was able to clearly see where my gifts lie: as a systems engineer and architect capable of building complex, high-scale, live data applications.
Now, I am channeling every single ounce of that knowledge, capability, and focus into good work for this community.
Over the next 6 to 12 months, I will be building and launching an interactive, submittable cold case directory on TheColdCases.com.
This platform will give families of victims a dedicated, secure space to submit:
Case details & timelines surrounding their loved one’s murder
Biographies & personal stories so victims are remembered as people, not just statistics
Photographs, case documents, and public records
Audio statements and video messages directly from family members and loved ones
From there, every entry will be curated into a structured, searchable, and public-facing archive. It will serve both the families fighting for answers and the independent researchers, advocates, and journalists working to bring unresolved cases back into the light.
This is a massive undertaking, but the groundwork is already in motion. Over the coming months, I will share milestones, development updates, and previews of the platform as it comes to life.
Thank you for sticking with me, for understanding my heart, and for being a part of this journey. The work continues.
Warmly,
Dustin Reed Terry
TheColdCases.com
