34 U.S.C. § 60901 — Case file review

(a) In general. When a federal law enforcement agency gets a written application from one designated person, it must review the case file for a cold case murder. The review is meant to determine whether a full reinvestigation would turn up new investigative leads or identify a likely perpetrator. (b) Review. The review must include: (1) analyzing what investigative steps might have been missed the first time; (2) assessing whether witnesses should be interviewed or reinterviewed; (3) examining physical evidence to check whether all the right forensic testing was done originally, or whether new testing might produce relevant information; and (4) updating the case file using today's investigative standards, to the extent that would help develop leads. (c) Certification in lieu of review. If the agency receives a written application but the case doesn't actually meet the definition of "cold case murder," a full review isn't required. Instead, the agency head must send the designated person a written certification stating that final review isn't necessary — either because all probative leads have already been exhausted, or because a likely perpetrator won't be identified. (d) Reviewer. The person who conducts the review under subsection (a) cannot be someone who already investigated that same murder before. (e) Acknowledgment. As soon as reasonably possible, the agency must tell the applicant, in writing: (1) that it received the application; and (2) what rights the applicant has under this chapter. (f) Prohibition on multiple concurrent reviews. Only one case review can be happening at a time for the same cold case murder victim. (g) Time limit. The agency must finish its case file review, and decide whether a full reinvestigation under section 60903 is warranted, within six months of receiving the application. (h) Extensions. (1) The agency may extend that six-month deadline once, for up to six more months, if it finds that the number of case files needing review makes the deadline impractical without unreasonably pulling resources from other law enforcement work. (2) When the agency extends the deadline this way, it must notify the designated applicant and explain its reasoning.