Texas State students help AG's office cold case unit through new internship | FOX 7 Austin

Texas State students help AG's office cold case unit through new internship

Last year, FOX 7 Austin told you about a new internship where Texas State University students get to help the Texas Attorney General's Office with cold cases.

The program launched last fall, and FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen caught up with the first interns to take part.

Cold case internship at Texas State University

The backstory:

Senior Ashe Young, graduate student Adrian Aranda, senior Morgan Blevins, and senior Brooklyn Crawley, are all a part of the internship program.

"It's like a gigantic puzzle with thousands and thousands of pieces, but there's no picture on the front of the box to tell you what you're working towards," Young said.

The four interns were picked out of more than 100 applicants. They're tackling two cases. 

While the exact ones are under wraps, both are nearly three decades old. 

What they're saying:

Dr. H. Jaymi Elsass, internship coordinator, says the cases were picked based on a solvability matrix, which includes what evidence is available and if there's DNA.

Even if the case isn't solved, interns have been going through stacks of files and summarizing it, which can make it easier for investigators or future interns. Success can also mean excluding a suspect.

"There are so many other measures of success that are just as important, just the ability to organize and digitize all of this material," Elsass said.

"Being able to even help in any little way to bring closure to them is really rewarding," Blevins said. 

The firsthand investigative experience is a rare opportunity. 

"As an educator, it just absolutely fills me with awe.  There are so few true opportunities for experiential learning like this," Elsass said.

"It's like nothing like the TV shows or the movies," Aranda said.

"One of the things that's surprised me a lot is how close you kind of feel to the people in the case itself," Crawley said. 

Young says he's wanted to be in law enforcement since he was young. 

"I used to check out a library book every week, and it was the same book about how to be a police officer for little kids. I checked it out so many times that when that librarian retired, she gave me that book, and I still have it. I plan on bringing it to graduation with me," he said. 

"My father is in law enforcement, my uncles and cousins," Aranda said. "When the El Paso Walmart shooting happened in 2018, that was kind of a big — I want to get involved in this. I want to help people."

"I wanted to do something where I'm making a difference in people's lives," Blevins said.

"My mom actually was going to go to school for criminal justice, and then she had me, so now I'm kind of carrying on her dream in that sense," Crawley said. "I just want to help. That's where I find my passion. My purpose."

What's next:

The next group of interns in the fall will continue on the two cases.

Applications will open up in February for next school year.

The first group's advice is to be ready to work.

"Every time you think that you can't do it anymore, just remember the victims that you're doing it for. That's helped me a lot," Crawley said.

For more information, click here.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen

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