Major Tim Horne visited campus to give students an inside look at cold case investigations.
Tim Horne, a retired detective with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, recently visited Elon University to share insights into the challenges and complexities of cold case investigations.
His presentation gave students an inside look at how investigators pursue justice when cases remain unsolved for years. Sponsored by Criminal Justice Studies and Legal Studies, the talk focused on the 1998 murder of 10-year-old Bobby Whitt, whose remains were discovered beneath a billboard off Interstate 85 in Mebane, North Carolina. The case became known as the “boy under the billboard” investigation because Bobby’s identity remained unknown and his murder unsolved for more than two decades.
Major Horne walked students through the investigation and the developments that ultimately led to the identification and confession of Bobby’s murderer. Advances in DNA testing and genetic genealogy helped investigators identify new leads, while Horne played a key role in securing a confession from Bobby’s father, Russell Whitt, in 2019, just hours before Horne’s retirement.
The case offered students a compelling example of how evolving forensic technologies and persistent investigative work can come together to solve a homicide decades after the crime occurred. The presentation also gave students an opportunity to engage with an experienced homicide investigator, ask questions about the realities of cold case work, and gain insight into careers in criminal justice.