Not forgotten: Police launch cold-case initiative

Hipolito Casiano Mateos was the type of person who made others laugh.

He was a popular DJ on a local Hispanic radio station, La Mexicana 730 AM, and had many loyal listeners, according to family members. He was known to listeners by his on-air name, Chico Moderno.

Seven years ago Wednesday, on the morning of Sept. 30, 2002, Mateos had just left his house at 1985 W. Sir Charles Drive (1000 North) to go to work when he was approached by another man, shot multiple times and killed in his driveway.

"We're still waiting for justice, and I know it's going to come soon," Mateos' sister, Guadalupe Gonzales, said Wednesday.

No one has ever been arrested in connection with Mateos' death. But Salt Lake police are taking a fresh look at the cold case and asking for anyone with information to step forward.

On Wednesday, Police Chief Chris Burbank announced a new approach to dealing with old homicide cases that have gone unsolved. The department will "reinvigorate" its efforts by picking a different cold case every eight to 10 weeks and profiling it in the media and on social networking sites that might not have been available when the crime occurred, such as YouTube.

The first case to be highlighted is the Mateos homicide.

The department has produced its own video profiling the shooting. Now police want to get all the media and social outlets they can to link to it.

Investigators typically can't remember every case they work, Burbank said. But when a case goes unsolved, particularly a homicide, detectives remember every little detail. Capt. Kyle Jones, head of detectives, described an unsolved case for police as being "haunting."

For family members of the victims, Burbank said not knowing what happened can be very trying.

"The idea of going through life and not knowing exactly what happened or who was responsible is certainly a significant event," he said. "What can we do to actually bring closure to a family wondering, 'What happened to my loved one?' "

Detectives are leaving all possibilities for suspects and motives open. One theory is that Mateos met someone the week before his death at a party in Ogden. That man may have mistakenly believed that Mateos had information about the man's drug activities and shot Mateos to prevent him from telling anyone, according to police.