Our recent experience with the Albany Police CRB, specifically with Detective Burnes, has been frustrating and largely unproductive. After 67 years of waiting for information on the cold case of my Aunt Rosetta Edwards—and 20 years of asking for updates—my patience is all but exhausted.
Despite filing a FOIL request and submitting new leads to the police, we’ve received nothing in return. Detective Burnes informed us that because the case is still “open,” they are limited in what they can share. But that doesn’t explain why we haven’t received any information—not even the coroner’s report.
We weren’t told anything during our meeting in Albany, despite traveling all the way from Springfield. But we sure did give them plenty of information. Filing the CRB Complaint was meant to hold the Albany Police accountable for the silence and misdirection we’ve faced. When we applied for the coroner’s report, we were again met with a lack of urgency and no answers.
At this point, it feels less like detective work and more like Kabuki theater—a performance designed to give the appearance of action, but offering no real substance or transparency. My aunt is devastated, and this entire process has shaken my faith in the system. We had hoped that the Albany Police would be our allies in this pursuit of justice, but all we’ve encountered is misdirection, silence, and the absence of any meaningful information.
The FOIL request was an effort to obtain the documents we are entitled to under the law, as Rosetta’s family. To date, we’ve received no updates, no records, and no data about the cold case of Rosetta Edwards.
My goal remains unchanged: to seek justice for my aunt. But as the days go by, it’s hard not to feel disillusioned by a system that seems indifferent to the loss and suffering of our family.