Sometimes solving a cold case means more than getting justice for the victim. Time isn't a friend for a case from 50 years ago. For investigators like Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Colin Driscoll, closing a case may simply mean identifying the victims. 

In April 1973, a couple of boys playing in a secluded area near Waterloo stumbled upon two bodies, covered by blankets and pillows. Autopsies indicated they were likely shot and killed in January. 

Investigators had little to go on to identify the two males, no fingerprints or dental work. 

"Four months of (decomposition) would say so," Driscoll said. "It probably would have been more skeletal remains at that point."

Each victim was considered a "John Doe." 

The "John Doe" case is one of a dozen the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is sharing on its social media platforms as part of National Cold Case Awareness Month. Cases date back to 1969. 

Investigators suspected members of Omaha's Hell's Angels motorcycle club in the Waterloo case, Driscoll said. The Hell's Angels had a major influence in Omaha's crime and drug scenes during the 1970s, Driscoll said. 

"It was easy to say that if it was drug-involved in any capacity and it was a shooting, it's probably the Hell's Angels," he said. 

Forensics have come a long way in the last six decades, so there may be ways to identify the men, Driscoll said. DNA is likely the best way, if certain factors come into play, he said. 

"I think each year that we get technological advances in genetics and DNA, the probability can only be higher," Driscoll said. "It's just going to take a thorough examination of the evidence that we have in our property and evidence division, and submitting that evidence for DNA testing. It's time exhaustive, and we just need to be able to buy that time to be able to do that. But it's possible." 

For the two men, it's time they have their names back, Driscoll said. 

"I think that they're at least owed some testing to see if we can identify them," he said. "These Doe cases are becoming way more prominent today with the technology that's out there, between forensic genealogy and the DNA testing that we could probably at least get a sample to figure out who these guys are. That's my hope." 

He may not be able to find their killer, but he can put a name to the souls, Driscoll said. "We've got some of these cases where it's going to be tough to try to identify living family or relatives, but, deep down, I just think that the victim is owed something," he said. 

With 30 active cases that require most of his attention, it's sometimes difficult for Driscoll to create free time to research cold cases, but he does his best to focus on them. 

A second case that Driscoll reopened in 2026 is the murder of Michelle "Mickey" LaMere. A citizen of the Ho Chunk (Winnebago) tribal nation, LaMere's body was found in a wooded area of the Ponca Hills neighborhood, north of Hummel Park, 42 years ago. 

In LaMere's case, Driscoll is utilizing federal and state databases, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's ViCAP, which can be used to research homicides, as well as missing and unidentified persons. 

"A representative from the (Nebraska) Attorney General's office was able to use photographs from the original autopsy and basically conduct a second autopsy to give me new information that maybe the medical examiner missed in 1984," Driscoll said. 

Native American-involved cases often fall through the cracks for a variety of reasons, but it was a simple observation that led Driscoll to reopen the LaMere case. "

This one was interesting, because as I was sorting out the hard copies and the binders case-by-case, Mickey LeMere only had a singular binder," he said. "I've added to it, but it was one singular binder, and I'll say that the Ricky Chadek case and some of the other child murders, their banker boxes are full of binders. But Mickey had that one binder, and I said, 'You know what? I can at least take the time to review this in my off-time or after hours. I'll read it like a novel.' And as I read through it, I knew I could follow up on a lot of this stuff."

His research revealed potential witnesses were still alive, so Driscoll knew he had people he could follow up with about the case. 

With LaMere's sister, Jackie Wolfe, living in Omaha, Driscoll reached out to start a conversation.

"I can't make any promises, but let's see what we could do on this," is what Driscoll said he told Wolfe. 

The sheriff's office long ago prioritized cases involving child homicides and disappearances, which is understandable, he said. 

"I just felt like there wasn't enough follow-up done at the time, or in the decades leading up to now," Driscoll said. "Provided she was 21, it was just kind of another cold case in the file. I felt there was an obligation to give this one a better look, again. When I really started to dig into the Native American background, I knew that there was going to be a lot of support for the case, as well as different entities that I could use for support." 

Driscoll attended the annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's remembrance last May at Gene Leahy Mall, where LaMere was among the people honored. 

LaMere was personable and knew a lot of people in downtown and midtown Omaha, where she lived, Driscoll said. 

"That's what's made this very difficult; she knew a ton of people, frequented a lot of places," he said. 

The day LaMere disappeared, a group of people recalled seeing a Native American woman, who matched her description, leaning out of the passenger side of a blue sedan, screaming and yelling, Driscoll said. The vehicle was driven by a white male with brownish hair with a red tint and some facial hair, he said. 

Her body was found about a day later. As he tries to confirm the vehicle as a Chevrolet Nova or Plymouth Duster, DNA may have provided a lead, Driscoll said. 

"We completed our first round of testing in May and identified somebody through DNA on her clothing," he said. "He's still listed as a person of interest, nothing prosecution-worthy at this time." 

Driscoll continues to follow potential leads in the case, including sending more evidence to state authorities for DNA testing. 

While the Douglas County Sheriff's Office doesn't have a dedicated team of cold case investigators, deputies spend free time researching cases.

"I'm excited if I get two minutes to send off an e-mail," Driscoll said. "If we can at least find some sort of closure, that's what we want to do. I'm just passionate in trying to find those answers."

Tim Trudell is a freelance writer and online content creator. His work has appeared in Flatwater Free Press, Next Avenue, Indian Country Today, Nebraska Life, Nebraska Magazine, Council Bluffs Daily Non-Pareil and Douglas County Post Gazette, among others. He is a citizen of the Santee Dakota Nation.