FOX 5 Special: Boston Strangler Case

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Television dramas like "Bones" and "CSI"captivate audiences and inspire young people to pursue careers in criminal justice. Atlanta's Bauder College is turning out some of tomorrow's lawyers, crime scene investigators and forensic specialists. Some students are learning investigative skills first-hand by working real cases that have grown cold.

This year, students have taken on the notorious case of the Boston Strangler. The case of the Boston Strangler has been the subject of several books and lots of news coverage.

It was the early1960's and that the Boston area was terrorized by a man considered by some to be the country's first serial killer. The killer was called the Boston strangler.

Albert Desalvo confessed to the string of 11 murders. The victims were all single women.

Years later, many wonder if Desalvo was telling the truth.

If it wasn't Deslavo, then who was the real Boston Strangler? Was there more than one killer?

The answers to those questions are what a group of students at Bauder College's Cold Case Investigative Research Institute hope to find out.

High-profile murder cases are the specialty of Sheryl McCollum's institute.

After a long career in criminal justice, McCollum started the institute in 2005. Students receive no class credit and no grades for their work with the institute.

"Cold cases are the best ones for teaching perspective because they involve everything," McCollum said.

For the next year, students will begin developing a timeline in the case. Students will make notes of case details gathered from the internet, public records, books and experts.

"Serial killers come from just a little different background. They have often fantasized about killing," said Betsy Ramsey, of the DeKalb County Solicitor General's Office.

Ramsey shares her expertise on the mind, traits and habits of a serial killer.

Students will weave all the information together, day of the week the murders occurred, time of day.

"Something will click. Something will all of a sudden say wait a minute, there was no forced entry in all 11 cases. That means maybe this guy had an MO that gave him access into that apartment. Was he a handy man, was he delivering flowers, did he pretend to be a police officer? Those are the kinds of things they are going to have to look at," said Ramsey.

It's also imperative that the victims' families agree to help.

Mary Sullivan is considered the last strangler victim, but her nephew, Casey Sherman wrote a book on the case and is convinced Desalvo didn't kill his aunt.

Sullivan scheduled to talk to the students this spring.

Beth Holloway visited the college when the institute tackled the case of her missing daughter Natalie two years ago. The Alabama 18-year-old disappeared in 2005 during a graduation trip to Aruba.

There are several reasons students attend the institute. For freshman Chardonnae Newton, it's personal.

"This case means a lot to me. I know how it is to have somebody missing and not have any answers, not having any closure, not having any justice. I have a cousin, it's now going on 10 years, that's been missing and we don't have any answers," said Newton.

Lashaun Bates graduated from Bauder and does investigative work, but she still comes back to work on cold cases. "Each time that I come I'm able to apply and learn more and I'm able to do a better job. So, that's why I keep coming," said Bates.

While the Natalie Holloway case remains unsolved, that is not the case with Chandra Levy, a Washington, D.C. intern who disappeared in 2001.

In 2008, the cold case team turned over their findings to Washington police and an arrest was made within months.

In 2008, the cold case investigative research institute expanded to include students and faculty from four other colleges, each with an area of expertise in crime solving.