Spotlight being put back on Chicago cold cases

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There is a new effort to bring closure to the families of victims of violence in Chicago and they hope putting the spotlight back on some cold cases will help catch the killer.

Dozens of family members shared their stories of how an act of violence still hurts them Saturday.

As they held on to pictures of their loved ones these parents and family members of gun violence victims whose cases remain unsolved expressed their concerns and frustrations.

Becky Deakyne's 17-year-old college-bound son Leon was gunned down in 2011 while walking home from a McDonald's.

"This is my third year," Deakyne said. "It's just the same thing. You say what you're going to do but nothing really is happening."

Alice Norris has been waiting for more than 20 years for her daughter's killer to be brought to justice.

"I have cancer and I just know that my time is limited," she said.

She also was among the roughly two dozen mothers, fathers, and other relatives who came together for the Saturday forum which was held at St. Sabina Church on the city's South Side.

The Chicago Police Department's Chief of Detective's John Escalante was also there and promised to give the cold cases another look.

"That's the point of this meeting, is not just to hear the frustration, but to find out what we can do to bring them some closure and eventually make an arrest," he said.

While police officials say Chicago's violence has seen a steady decline since the mid-1990s, more than 400 people were still killed last year alone.

The weekend meeting was sponsored by Purpose Over Pain, an organization co-founded by Pam Bosley and Annette Nance-Holt after both women lost their sons to gun violence.

"We're all looking for closure," Bosley said. "We don't know what to do."

The only thing they feel they can do is to continue to wait and hope for the violence to end.