How Many of Michigan’s Murders Go Unsolved?

Crime is, unfortunately, a ubiquitous part of life. It could be something as minor as jaywalking or parking in the wrong spot, or it can be among the worst crimes like murder. An entire industry is morbidly built on "true crime", and this can desensitize people to the real horror and pain that comes with this crime.

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While some families can get justice by having the murder of their loved one solved and someone get punished by the law, many cases go unsolved, and loved ones are left to try picking up the pieces. The Murder Accountability Project aims to bring this issue to light by showing how many cases go unsolved in each state.

Michigan Unsolved Murder Rates

Since no law enforcement agency monitors failed homicide investigations, the Murder Accountability Project (MAP)is a nonprofit group organized in 2015 that aims to highlight these numbers and publish information to help keep law enforcement accountable. On its website, you can view the yearly breakdown between solved and unresolved murders by state and even by county.

READ MORE: This Missing Child's Case Is the Oldest In Michigan

According to MAP's data, based on the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which shows homicide rates from 1965 to 2023 (58 years). Michigan has had a total of 45,487 homicides, with 24,714 cases solved (54.33%). The best year came in 1974 when 761 of 1,180 murders were cleared, and the worst year was in 2008 when only 149 of the 553 murders were cleared.

Looking at Kent County specifically, there have been 1,235 homicides, with 677 being cleared (54.82%).

Nationally, there have been 1,031,942 homicides, with 685,669 cases solved (66.44%). Clearance rates hit an all-time low in 2022, with only 52.3% of murders being cleared. 2023 saw an increase in clearance rates back to 57.8% based on 19,252 murders in 2023. The best year came in 1980 when 16,147 of the 22,454 murders were cleared.

While Michigan's rate is lower than the national average, its homicide rate is also drastically lower than those of other states around the country.