LJR Essays

The Vidocq Society was established in Philadephia, PA in 1990 with the purpose of providing free assistance for cold case homicides. It was originally formed by three individuals, a former police officer and FBI agent, a forensic sculptor, and a prison psychologist. While it consists of volunteer investigators, profilers, forensic experts, and prosecutors who are available to provide their expertise, the society itself is not a law enforcement agency.

The Vidocq Society is named after Eugène-François Vidocq, a French criminal who became a criminologist and detective. He is considered the father of modern criminology and is the world’s first private detective. He established the first recognized detective agency, started record-keeping of information, which included criminal descriptions and aliases, and introduced an early form of ballistics into crime-solving. Additionally, he was the first to make foot and shoe imprints using plaster-of-paris, and he used his talent of disguise to infiltrate criminal networks to help police catch criminals.

The Vidocq Society has participated in the solving of many well-known cold cases, but is especially known for the Boy in the Box case, in which an unidentified boy, who was found deceased in a cardboard box in 1957, was finally identified in 2022.

Vidocq Society membership is invite-only, and only law enforcement can request assistance of services.