ABOUT ECCMPI
The Critical Cold Case Situation
More than 211,000 homicides committed since 1980 remain unsolved. Nearly one quarter of a million potentially dangerous people are in our society and have not answered for their crimes. Currently less than 65% of homicides will be solved, about one in every two homicides you hear about and the curve is showing no sign of an uptick. More than 600,000 individuals go missing in the US each year; in 2017, 27,000 of those missing persons were children. A common thread in the news, “Sheriff's Office asking for public's help with ...” ECCMPI addresses this critical by educating people on the problem and training them to be part of the solution.
Founded in 2019, the Eagle Cold Case & Missing Person Institute (ECCMPI) has its focus on the most violent and tragic crimes that affect our communities: Homicides and Missing Persons. Law enforcement agencies across the Country have limited, defunct, or no Cold Case or Missing Person divisions meaning these cases are not being actively investigated in all Law Enforcement agencies. This fact has families, friends and communities of victims reeling for answers. Unsolved violent crimes leave potentially dangerous people in our neighborhoods.
ECCMI Founder, James Carsten, a retired (22years) U.S. Army Interrogator/Human Intelligence Collector and CID Criminal Investigator, brought his vision to fruition by training teams to analyze cold case homicides and assist Law Enforcement in their efforts to solve these heinous crimes. His vision has gained traction and drew a positive reaction from many whom have joined the efforts. 2020 brought an opportunity for growth with the merger of the non-profit, The Unfinished Files, an investigative and content creation organization, founded by Tyler Ryan and Brian Setree, examining major cold and missing person cases. Expanding the group of experienced investigators to include prosecutors, law enforcement, private investigators, family members of victims, and behavior experts, ECCMPI is uniquely positioned to address this growing and pressing need.
To address the critical need, the ECCMPI brings the unique 3CE training to seasoned Law Enforcement officers, investigators and individuals. Framework is set to engage these altruistic members of society to join together to build the facts of the case by; going back to "first vantage point" (the first point in the past where an examiner can visualize the scene/incident), identifying all available sources of information, gathering all available information without bias and building actionable intelligence products to show what is known and unknown, and showing logical and viable forward progressing investigative leads. These teams are helping law enforcement, families of victims of violent crimes and will potentially build safer neighborhoods.
Like a rare illness or sudden homelessness, most don’t think about this crisis until it happens in their family or community. One cold case homicide is one too many/one missing person is one too many. Join us and be the voice of change.
ECCMPI and The Unfinished are looking for dedicated volunteers, interns, advisors and more. If you are interested in serving, click below for more information.
ABOUT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Eagle Cold Case and Missing Person Institute is governed by a Board of Directors, who create and oversee the implementation of the operation of the ECCMPI, as well as programming, education, investigations, fundraising, 501(c)3 compliance and all other operational matters.
The Members of the ECCMPI Board of Directors, who volunteer their time, expertise and experience are an eclectic group of professionals, ranging from law enforcement, military intelligence, corporate leadership, private investigation, education, technology, law, and of course, non-profit administration.
The Board of Directors, let by an Executive Committee, practices the standard Roberts Rules of Protocol, commonly accepted for the operation of non-profits, and meets monthly. An annual meeting is also held each January to recap the previous year, and work on the vision for the following year and years.
In addition to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, the ECCMPI relies on advisory members, and of course volunteers.
If you are interested in becoming involved with the ECCMPI, as an Advisor, Volunteer, or Board service, please click the button below.
We also have Internship opportunities available.
MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tyler Ryan
Board President
Tyler Ryan is an award winning television and radio personality, podcast host, and investigative journalist. Tyler also is a seasoned criminal investigator, having served as a police officer for well over 20 years. His investigative chops were cut working narcotics, sexual based crimes, and child abuse.
Tyler and fellow Board Member Brian Setree founded The Unfinished Foundation and Unfinished Files Podcast in 2019.
Tyler currently hosts the ABC Columbia morning program, serves as a meteorologist for the show, and is an investigative journalist. He also serves with the Newberry County Dive Team as a Team Leader and Captain. In addition, Tyler is a USCG Master Charter Boat captain, and national Boating Safety Instructor.
Brian Setree
Board Vice President
Brian is an experienced investigator, and a Veteran law enforcement officer with well over two decades of service. While in law enforcement, Brian in nearly every area of the job, including the road, undercover narcotics cases, cold cases, death investigations.
Brian and fellow Board Member Tyler Ryan created The Unfinished Files and Cold Case Investigations, as a non-profit organization.
Currently, Brian in a private investigator, and along with his wife Jennifer operate Setree Investigations.
Karen Karlak
Board Secretary
Karen Karlak is a Certified SC Paralegal. Prior to relocating to South Carolina she spent 16 years in the non-profit sector serving at risk children and 20 years in the graphic art world.
Karen has extensive continuing education in business management, grant writing and has completed the 3CE training program. She proudly serves the ECC&MPI and has a passion to help families of victims of violent crimes find the truth.
Matt Thornton
Board Member
Matt Thornton is VP, Business Development, for Eagle Investigative Services, Inc. Matt has been a licensed investigator for 5 years. Prior to joining Eagle, Matt was an entrepreneur for 8 years, as a premier business coach and educator for transitioning military veterans.
Prior to this, Matt spent 40 years in Manufacturing, Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, and Sales Leadership with world class companies. He is a graduate of Indiana State University, with a BA in Business Management, and has completed extensive continuing education throughout his career.
Jennifer Setree
Board Member
Jennifer Setree, along with her Husband and fellow ECCMI Board Member, operate Seetree Investigations. She specializes in case research, digital forensics, and more.
Bethany Miles
Board Member
Bethany Miles is currently a prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit in the South Carolina Attorney General's office in Columbia, South Carolina. Having prosecuted criminal cases for over a decade in the statewide and local prosecutor’s offices, she has worked everything from the sexual exploitation of minors, child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking to homicide by child abuse and murder.
In 2019, Bethany founded Milestones of South Carolina, a non-profit 503(c), whose mission is to create a better tomorrow for children in foster care by helping them celebrate the milestones in their life in a meaningful way.
Throughout college and law school, Bethany worked at the National District Attorneys Association where she worked on trainings across many areas of the legal field.
Bethany received her Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 2006 and her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2009.
Sandy Coots
Board Member
Sandy Coots is a television and podcast producer and writer with over 20 years experience in the industry, spending many years focusing on the crime beat at a television station in Flint MI.
Sandy has a passion for story telling, believing that "everyone has a story to tell.
She and her husband moved to the Palmetto State several years ago, and she is committed to the mission of the ECC-MPI.
Tiffany Pagan
Board Member
Tiffany, known as Tiff hails from Ormond Beach Florida, graduated with a degree in Fine Arts Photography from Dayton State College. In 2010, she met her future husband, Christian, who she married in 2013. The young couple relocated to Lexington, South Carolina in 2015, and began to put down roots, exploring several career opportunities, before welcoming their son, Greyson in 2020.
As the popularity of podcasts grew, and specifically the true crime genre. Tiffany began listening to as many as possible, learning the craft of research and presentation. In 2021, she had her partner “in crime,” Samantha, started the Cola City Crime podcast.
Tiffany and Sam are huge victim advocates and yearn to bring justice to those of the North and South Carolina areas who are still missing.
In 2022, Tiffany joined the Board of the ECCMPI, and began a partnership, not only with the organization, but with Unfinished Files Host Tyler Ryan, crafting a new way to present cold cases to the world.
Samantha Geddings
Board Member
Samantha Geddings, otherwise known by her nickname, Sam, was Born in Washington State but lived all over the world due to her father being in the military. She was raised by a community of people including her single father and grandmother. She and her father moved to Sumter, South Carolina in 1997. After attending high school and college outside of the Palmetto State, she would return to Sumter in 2005, and meet her future husband, Jason.
Moving to Elloree to start a family, and eventually landing in West Columbia.
The couple’s love of pool and playing in a league would lead them to hearing stories about the upwards of 20 missing people in Sumter County, who’s cases have grown cold.
There would also be a young man, named Brent Garcia, who went missing in Sumter and it would hit home for her. Sam actually worked with his mother when she lived in Sumter and her husband grew up with Brent’s family. Unfortunately, Brent still has not been found to this day.
This case, along with the many others sparked a passion to shed light on local cases that are no longer in the limelight. It was her husband, recognizing that desire to share cases, who made the dream of a podcast come true, by purchasing her first podcast “kit.”
In 2021, she had her longtime friend Tiffany Pagan started the Cola City Crime podcast.
Tiffany and Sam are huge victim advocates and yearn to bring justice to those of the North and South Carolina areas who are still missing.
In 2022, Tiffany joined the Board of the ECCMPI, and began a partnership, not only with the organization, but with Unfinished Files Host Tyler Ryan, crafting a new way to present cold cases to the world.