Congressman Nick Langworthy announces $100,000 in funding for Chautauqua County Abducted, Missing, Murdered, and Unidentified Women’s Initiative (March 27, 2024)
The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office will receive $100,000 for its Abducted, Missing, Murdered, and Unidentified Women’s Initiative.
Congressman Nick Langworthy announced the federal funding as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024.
He said over the span of 45 years, more than 25 individuals have gone missing, were murdered, or are unidentified, “Now, among them were 14 young women between the ages of 14 and 35. Their lives tragically cut short. Their families left with unanswered questions and unimaginable pain. But, thanks to the hard work of Sheriff Jim Quattrone and the men and women of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office these families have hope for closure.”
Langworthy said the initiative has encountered challenges such as how the closure of over 10 law enforcement agencies in the county over the years has made some records inaccessible.
He said the funding will better equip the initiative to “navigate the complexities of these investigations,” “They will have the resources necessary to meticulously piece together evidence, follow up on leads, and collaborate with other agencies to ensure no stone is unturned. And they’re able to capitalize on new technology that didn’t exist when many of these tragedies took place. This funding will allow this initiative to reach its goals of compiling information on all 21 cold cases and ensuring databases are up to date with correct information.”
County Sherriff Jim Quattrone said he prefers to call the cases “unsolved” rather than “cold cases,” “Our office, officers and investigators continually work on them, look for leads, look for cases of evidence we can move forward. Some are more difficult than others. But with their persistence we’re seeing successes. We look forward to the day we can make announcements where we can see some prosecutions on cases.”
Quattrone said his goal is to keep seeking funding to make the Abducted, Missing, Murdered, and Unidentified Women’s Initiative permanent.
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