Cincy Reporter

William Mason High School students are participating in a class to investigate real-life cold case murders.

The class is in its third year and was developed by teacher Randy Hubbard, 53; a Cincinnati Enquirer report said this week. In the class, students utilize forensics techniques and research to hopefully uncover new leads in the search for answers in murder cases long gone cold. Hubbard also developed a forensic science course that is a prerequisite for enrolling in the cold case class.

The Enquirer revealed some of the very serious and difficult questions the students asked about real-life cold cases, such as: "Who killed 29-year-old Buffy Jo Freeman back in 2007 and left her body near tennis courts in Springfield, Ohio? Why would Bobbie Lee Wells — en route from Michigan to Alabama — end up dead near Toledo in 1980? What led to the violent stabbing death of Alicia Jackson in her Columbus apartment in 2010, as her 2-year-old son sat nearby in his high chair?"

"We're just trying to find out more information that we can use to tell their stories — so that, hopefully, somebody will say something," Hubbard told The Enquirer.

Hubbard teaches biology and has been an instructor at Mason High for 19 years, The Enquirer said. He got the idea for the cold case course when he created a lesson using blood-splatter analysis to teach students about the circulatory system.

Interest in the course is high, with 35 enrollees this year and 52 signed up for next year's class.

The students of Hubbard's class presented their findings at a Thursday presentation that was open to the public. While the students didn't have all the answers during their presentation, they did highlight plenty of research — as well as a few theories — that they hope will revive inactive murder investigations.

"I want to bring justice to people who have cold cases," student Brittany Schuster told The Enquirer. She is going on to study criminal justice at Ohio State University this fall.