Julie Haney picked up the manila folder. Just a few inches thick, it felt small in her hands. Most files were far larger. As a special agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, she had years of experience with files like this one. This was a cold case – a death that left more questions than answers. The case was 5 years old. And it wasn’t just cold; it was closed.

Haney’s boss, just back from a conference on cold cases, handed it to her for one final review. It was February 2006. Inside the folder was a photograph of Cassandra Castens, a toddler with blue eyes and blond ponytails. In the photograph, Cassie wasn’t looking at the camera but off to her left. She was smiling but just barely. It may have been the last picture of her ever taken. Haney opened the file and started to read.