Who we are & what we do
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board is a nonpartisan panel of private citizens, appointed by the President, who are working to release the contents of federal investigations into unresolved cold cases from the civil rights era. In making these records publicly available, the goal is to provide a measure of clarity to relatives of victims, and also provide a more comprehensive picture of a dark chapter in our nation’s history. Find out more.
“After all this time, we might not solve every one of these cold cases, but my hope is that our efforts will, at the very least, help us find some long overdue healing and understanding of the truth.”
- Sen. Doug Jones, July 10, 2018, on the floor of the U.S. Senate
Newly released cases
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Willie Countryman
Willie Countryman was a 32-year-old delivery driver for Nehi Bottling Company. He lived in Dawson, Georgia, with his partner, Mary Robinson, their newborn baby, and his grandmother, Cornelia Countryman.
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George Love
George Lee Love, 39, was a World War II veteran and laborer who lived in Sallis, Attala County, Mississippi.
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Rogers Hamilton
Rogers Hamilton was an 18-year old farm laborer who supported his mother, Beatrice Hamilton, siblings, nephews, nieces, and cousins following his father's 1955 death. Hamilton had plans to marry right before his death.
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Jessie James Shelby
Jessie James Shelby was a 24-year-old farm laborer from the outskirts of Yazoo, Mississippi. He supported his mother and five siblings following his father’s 1942 death.
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Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith was a 63-year-old voting rights activist, farmer, and World War I veteran. He and his wife, Annie, lived in Lincoln County, Mississippi with their two children.
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Hilliard Brooks Jr.
Hilliard Brooks Jr. was a 22-year-old World War II veteran who lived with his pregnant wife, Estelle, and their two children in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Roy Cyril Brooks
Roy Cyril Brooks was a 44-year-old father of three. He lived with his wife, Mary, and worked at the Swift Fertilizer Plant in Harvey, Louisiana, where he was a long-time and active member of his union.
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Dr. Thomas Brewer Sr. was a 62-year-old physician in Columbus, Georgia. He founded the Columbus chapter of the NAACP and financially supported Primus King’s court case to ensure the Black vote in Georgia. Brewer and his wife, Lillian, had two children, Thomas Jr. and Thelma.
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John Earl Reese
John Earl Reese was born in Rusk County, Texas on Oct. 9, 1939. He lived with his grandmother and worked to earn money for their household when he was not in school.
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Ladislado Uresti
Ladislado Uresti was a 47-year-old night watchman and maintenance worker who lived in San Antonio, Texas. He and his wife, Lorenza, had 15 children.
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Maceo Snipes
Maceo Snipes was a 37-year-old farmer in Taylor County, Georgia. He was a World War II veteran who received an Asiatic Pacific Service Medal.
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Clarence Pickett
Clarence Horatious Pickett was a 48-year-old minister and advertising salesman for the Columbus World. He lived with his sister, Lillie Banks, in Columbus, Georgia.