Iowa Attorney General’s Office announces new positions for AG Cold Case Unit

(ABC 6 News) — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office (AG) is putting new resources to add full-time, trained investigators to the new AG Cold Case Unit.

According to a news release, the Iowa legislature approved a general fund appropriation to the Iowa AG, effective July 1, 2024. This funding was intended for the hiring of three additional cold case field investigators and one assistant attorney general prosecutor.

The news release states that over the past year and a half, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has helped develop and implement the planned Cold Case Unit to assist on cold cases. The positions are meant to support law enforcement and county attorneys on cold cases that they may have within their jurisdiction.

The following names make up the AG Cold Case Unit and their areas of responsibility:

• Investigator Chris Callaway (retired Iowa DCI) – North Central and Northwest IA
• Investigator Chad Lovig (retired Ames PD) – Central, West and Southwest IA
• Investigator Jim McMillan (retired FBI) – Northeast, East and Southeast IA
• Investigator Steve Ponsetto (retired Iowa DCI) – Central, West and Southwest IA
• Assistant Attorney General Scott Brown – Statewide

Chief Michael Colby had this to say in support of the unit via a press release from Clear Lake PD:

“I am glad to see that the State of Iowa will have a dedicated team with the sole goal of solving some of Iowa’s oldest and most challenging cases which have gone unsolved, many for decades. These cases are solvable only through the hard work and dedication that this team has committed to, and through the courage of those with information to come forward and share what could be key in solving a cold case. If this is you, or someone you know, I encourage you to come forward and contact the Iowa Attorney Generals Cold Case Unit by calling 800-245-5100 or emailing them at coldcase@ag.iowa.gov even if you wish to remain anonymous.”

A cold case is defined as any death case identified as a homicide, or missing person under suspicious
circumstances, or any unidentified human remains, and when active leads have been exhausted as determined by the originating law enforcement agency