In the United States today, solving a murder is far from certain, and the odds are troublingly low. Police solve just over half of homicides, meaning more than 40% go unsolved. That’s a dramatic slide from the 1960s, when nearly 9 out of 10 murders ended with an arrest.

Why the drop? Fewer eyewitnesses are willing to talk. Forensic backlogs stretch out for months. Overstretched detectives are juggling too many cases. In some cities, the solve rate is even lower, leaving families waiting for answers that may never come.

The ripple effect is chilling: with so many murders unresolved, the average person will unknowingly cross paths with a killer at some point in life. In a crowded city, that might mean dozens of encounters over the years; in rural areas, likely just a handful. Either way, it’s a stark reminder of how often justice slips through the cracks.