AUGUSTA — A bill to fund a cold case unit has been approved by both legislative houses. However, the money needed for the proposed cold case unit must be approved by the Appropriation Committee before the bill can move forward.

Senator Linda Valentino, D-Saco, sponsored LD 1121, “An Act To Fund the Cold Case Homicide Unit in the Department of the Attorney General.” The bill has been placed on the “special appropriations table” to await funding, according to a press release from Valentino.

The bill repeals any law that might make a cold case unit contingent on federal funding, according to state documents. Annual costs for the cold case unit are estimated to be about $500,000, and would include two state police detectives and one forensic chemist.

“For more than a decade I have felt helpless and dismayed that there are 120 unsolved murders in Maine; but today, as a Senator, I no longer feel helpless,” said Valentino in a written statement. “Law enforcement is now one step closer to being able to take a fresh look at these cases.”

At a press conference and public hearing in Augusta last month, lawmakers heard heartbreaking stories from families, including that of Trista Reynolds, mother of 18-month-old Ayla Reynolds who went missing in 2011 and is presumed murdered, according to police; Ramona Torres, mother of Angel Torres, 21, who police believe was a victim of foul play after he disappeared on Mother’s Day of 1999; Lise Ouellette, mother of Ashley Ouellette, 15, whose body was discovered on the side of the road in Scarborough 15 years ago.

“These victims aren’t just names on a list buried in some government archive; they are our children, our neighbors, and our friends,” said Saco Police Chief Bradley Paul in written testimony.

Paul said there is no statute of limitations for murder. “But let’s remove the practical statute of limitations by freeing up the financial resources to permit Maine to aggressively pursue the investigation of older, open murder cases,” said Paul.

Valentino said, as a senator in the appropriations committee, she has introduced an amendment that would secure funding in the current budget.

“We owe it to the victims, the families, and the public to make this a priority,” she said.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext.325 or egotthelf@journaltribunecom.