This qualitative study explores the experiences and coping strategies of 13 family adult members (spouses, parents, children, and siblings), co-victims of cold case homicides, facing bereavement following traumatic grief. The study utilizes in-depth semi-structured interviews to gather data, which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four main strategies emerge: (1) commemoration of the deceased, (2) maintaining emotional bonds, (3) disengagement from prior identity, and (4) detachment from grief through avoidance or obsessive preoccupation. A novel category “grief evolvers” was identified, describing individuals who use positive adaptive coping mechanisms that challenge existing assumptions about dealing with grief. The findings highlight the long-term psychological impact of cold case homicides and the limitations of conventional grief frameworks in such cases. Implications for trauma-informed mental health interventions and victim support policy are discussed.
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
2.
ArmourM. P. (2002). Journey of family members of homicide victims: A qualitative study of their post homicide experience. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72(3), 372–382. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.72.3.372
3.
ArmourM. P.UmbreitM. S. (2006). Violent death: Resilience and intervention beyond the crisis. Springer Publishing.
4.
ArmourM. P.UmbreitM. S. (2012). Survivors of homicide victims: Factors that influence their well-being. Journal of Forensic Social Work, 2(2), 74–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/1936928x.2012.750253
5.
BoelenP. A.OleffM.SmidG. E. (2020). Traumatic loss: Mental health consequences and implications for treatment and prevention. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1591331. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1591331
6.
BossP. (1999). Ambiguous loss: Learning to live with unresolved grief. Harvard University Press.
7.
ChandraY.ShangL. (2019). Qualitative research: An overview. In ChandraY.ShangL. (Eds.), Qualitative research using RA systematic approach (pp. 1–19). Springer.
8.
CorrC.CorrD.DokaK. (2019). Death & dying, life and living (8th ed.). Thomas Wadworth.
9.
CostaD. H. D.NjaineK.SchenkerM. (2017). Repercussions of homicide on victims' families: A literature review. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 22(9), 3087–3097. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232017229.18132016
10.
CurrierJ. M.HollandJ. M.NeimeyerR. A. (2006). Sense-making, grief, and the experience of violent loss: Toward a mediational model. Death Studies, 30(5), 403–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180600614351
11.
DeSpelderL. A.StricklandA. L. (2009). The last dance: Encountering death and dying (8th ed.). McGraw Hill Higher Education.
12.
DeSpelderL. A.StricklandA. L. (2020). The last dance: Encountering death and dying (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
13.
EdwardsT.SharpeT.BonomoA.MassaquoiN. (2021). Exploring research on the coping strategies of black survivors of homicide victims: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 11(11), Article e049784. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049784
14.
El MohebM.Herrera-EscobarJ. P.BreenK.OrlasC.HaynesA. N.Levy-CarrickN. C.NehraD.SanchezS. E.SalimA.VelmahosG.KaafaraniH. M. A. (2021). Long-term outcomes of psychoactive drug use in trauma patients: A multicenter patient-reported outcomes study. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 90(2), 319–324. https://doi.org/10.1097/TA.0000000000003032
15.
FlickU. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research (6th ed.). Sage.
16.
FontenelleL. F.CocchiL.HarrisonB. J.MiguelE. C.TorresA. R. (2011). Role of stressful and traumatic life events in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Neuropsychiatry, 1(1), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.2217/npy.10.1
17.
FrankenburgR.OregA. (2024). “As long as they remember me, I am alive”: Commemoration and memory through stickers. Death Studies, Advanceonline publication, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2024.2435929
18.
FreisteinK.GadingerF. (2020). Populist stories of honest men and proud mothers: A visual narrative analysis. Review of International Studies, 46(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0260210519000421
19.
FurnhamA. (2003). Belief in a just world: Research progress over the past decade. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(5), 795–817. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0191-8869(02)00072-7
20.
HealeR.TwycrossA. (2015). Validity and reliability in quantitative studies. Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(3), 66–67. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102129
HertzM. F.Prothrow-StithD.CheryC. (2005). Homicide survivors: Research and practice implications. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 29(5), 288–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2005.08.027
23.
Israeli Police Statistical Abstract. (2023). Crime data collection in Israel. In: Research and information center of the knesset. RIC.[Hebrew].
24.
Israel Police. (2025). Annual statistical report 2023. Israel police. Ministry of National Security.
25.
JacobsK. A.WellmanA. R. P.FullerA. M.AndersonC. P.JuradoS. M. (2016). Exploring the familial impact of cold case homicides. Journal of Family Studies, 22(3), 256–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2015.1065195
26.
Janoff-BulmanR. (1992). Shattered assumptions: Towards a new psychology of trauma. The Free Press.
27.
JaramilloN.FelixE. D. (2021). Psychosocial influences on posttraumatic growth among university students following a mass murder. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 91(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000512
28.
KallioH.PietiläA.JohnsonM.KangasniemiM. (2016). Systematic methodological review: Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031
29.
KlassD.SilvermanP. R.NickmanS. L. (1996). Continuing bonds: New understanding of grief. Taylor & Francis.
30.
LernerM. J. (1980). The belief in a just world: A fundamental delusion. Perspectives in social psychology. Plenum Press.
31.
LernerM. J.MillerD. T. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85(5), 1030–1051. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.85.5.1030
32.
MengZ.ZhangD.LiG.YuB. (2019). An important learning method for non-probabilistic reliability analysis and optimization. Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 59(4), 1255–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-018-2128-7
33.
MilleraM. L.BrockbaR. L. (2017). The effect of trauma on the severity of obsessive-compulsive spectrum symptoms: A meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 47(2), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.02.005
34.
MorrowS. L. (2005). Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 250–260. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.250
35.
MurrayL. K.CohenJ. A.MannarinoA. P. (2013). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for youth who experience continuous traumatic exposure. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 19(2), 180–195. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032533
36.
NajavitsL. M.WalshM. (2012). Dissociation, PTSD, and substance abuse: An empirical study. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 13(1), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2011.608781
37.
National Sheriff’s Association, Justice Solutions, and National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children. (2011). Serving survivors of homicide victims during cold case investigations: A guide for developing a law enforcement protocol. National Sheriff’s Association.
38.
NeimeyerR. A. (2001). Reauthoring life narratives: Grief therapy as meaning reconstruction. Israel Journal of Psychiatry & Related Sciences, 38(1), 171–183.
39.
NeimeyerR. A. (2011). Reconstructing meaning in bereavement. Rivista di Psichiatria, 46, (5–6), 332–336. https://doi.org/10.1708/1009.10982
40.
NeimeyerR. A.BaldwinS. A.GilliesJ. (2006). Continuing bonds and reconstructing meaning: Mitigating complications in bereavement. Death Studies, 30(8), 715–738. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180600848322
41.
NeimeyerR. A.HarrisD. L.WinokuerH. R.ThorntonG. F. (2011). Grief and bereavement in contemporary society: Bridging research and practice. Routledge.
42.
NeimeyerR. A.PrigersonH. G.DaviesB. (2002). Mourning and meaning. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(2), 235–251.
43.
NietzscheF. (1997). Twilight of the idols (Richard Polt, trans.). Hackett. (Originalwork published in 1889). Indiannapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company.
44.
NobleH.SmithJ. (2015). Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(2), 34-35. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102054
45.
PennebakerJ. W. (2000). Telling stories: The health benefits of narrative. Literature and Medicine, 19(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1353/lm.2000.0011
46.
PretoriusG.Halstead-CleakJ.MorganB. (2010). The lived experience of losing a sibling through murder. Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 10(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.2989/ipjp.2010.10.1.7.1079
47.
RubinS. S.MalkinsonR.WitztumE. (2016). The multiple faces of loss and bereavement: Theory and therapy. University of Haifa Press & Pardes.
48.
SchniderK. R.ElhaiJ. D.GrayM. J. (2007). Coping style use predicts posttraumatic stress and complicated grief symptom severity among college students reporting a traumatic loss. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(3), 344–350. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.54.3.344
49.
SchreierM. (2012). Qualitative content analysis in practice. Sage.
50.
Shanun-KleinH.KreitlerS.KreitlerM. (2013). Thanatology: The study of loss, dying and bereavement: Selected topics. Pardes Publishing House. [Hebrew].
51.
SimmonsC. A.DuckworthM.TylerE. (2014). Getting by after a loved one’s death by homicide: The relationship between case status, trauma symptoms, life satisfaction, and coping. Violence & Victims, 29(3), 506–522. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.vv-d-12-00114
52.
SmithJ. R.PattonD. U. (2016). Posttraumatic stress symptoms in context: Examining trauma responses to violent exposures and homicide death among black males in urban neighborhoods. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 86(2), 212–223. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000101
53.
StreteskyP. B.CopeK.O'ConnorS. T.HoganM. J.UnnithanN. P. (2016). “The police have given up”: An empirical examination of covictims' beliefs about cold case homicide investigations. Violence & Victims, 31(1), 135–154. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-14-00017
54.
StroebeM.SchutH. (2005). To continue or relinquish bonds: A review of consequences for the bereaved. Death Studies, 29(6), 477–494. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180590962659
55.
Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. (2024). Homicide rates in Israel: Recent trends [PDF]. Retrieved from Taub Center website.
56.
TedeschiR. G.CalhounL. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02103658
57.
TracyS. J. (2010). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121
58.
Van DenderenM.de KeijserJ.HuismanM.BoelenP. A. (2016). Prevalence and correlates of self-rated post-traumatic stress disorder and complicated grief in a community-based sample of homicidally bereaved individuals. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(2), 207–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514555368
59.
WaltonR. H. (2017). Cold case homicides: Practical investigative techniques (2nd ed.). CRC Press.
60.
WellmanA. P. (2014). Grief in comparison: Use of social comparison among cold case homicide survivors. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 19(5), 462–473. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2013.801306
61.
WellmanA. P. (2014a). Faith without answers: The use of religion among cold case homicide survivors. Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying, 69(1), 19–39. https://doi.org/10.2190/OM.69.1.b
62.
WellmanA. P.MeitlM. B. (2020). Exploring cold case homicide survivor's perceptions of and relationships with law enforcement. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(23–24), 11553–11575. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519897327
63.
WernerS. (2022). A review on the effects of homicide on Co-Victims: Mental health, coping, and race. Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal, 18(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.5399/uo/ourj/21.1.9
64.
WijkA. V.LeidenI. V.FerwerdaH. (2017). Murder and the long-term impact on co victims: A qualitative, longitudinal study. International Review of Victimology, 23(2), 1–13.
65.
WilliamsJ. L.RheingoldA. A., (2015). Barriers to care and service satisfaction following homicide loss: Associations with mental health outcomes, Death Studies, 39(1), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2013.846949
66.
ZinzowH. M.RheingoldA. A.HawkinsA. O.SaundersB. E.KilpatrickD. G. (2009). Losing a loved one to homicide: Prevalence and mental health correlates in a national sample of young adults. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20377
67.
RabionetS. E. (2011). How I learned to design and conduct semi-structured interviews: An ongoing and continuous journey. The Qualitative Report, 16(2), 563–566.
