---
title: O.C.G.A. § 17-21-2. Definitions.
collection: code
id: 17-21-2
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 17-21-2 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-21-2
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-21-2.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-21-2/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t17-(v15)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=6c4dfdf8_0#page=172
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE / COLD CASE MURDER REINVESTIGATION
---

# O.C.G.A. § 17-21-2. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the term:

(1) “Agency” means a law enforcement agency with the jurisdiction to engage in the detection, investigation, or prosecution of a cold case murder.

(2) “Cold case” means a homicide:

(A) That was committed more than three years prior to the date of an application by a designated person;

(B) That was previously investigated by an agency; and

(C) For which all probative leads have been exhausted or no likely perpetrator has been identified.

(3) “Designated person” means an immediate family member or their designated legal representative who shall be a member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia.

(4) “Immediate family member” means a parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandparent-in-law, sibling, spouse, child, or stepchild of a victim or any person who exercised in loco parentis control over a victim under the age of 18 years.

(5) “Murder” means any criminal offense provided under Code Section 16-5-1.

(6) “Probative lead” means evidence which is sufficiently useful to prove an element of the crime, which was not identified or determined as part of the previous investigation by the agency.

(7) “Victim” means a natural person who died as a result of a cold case murder.

## History

Code 1981, § 17-21-2, enacted by Ga. L. 2023, p. 106, § 1/HB 88, effective July 1, 2023; Ga. L. 2024, p. 1052, § 6(14)/SB 448, effective July 1, 2024.

## Amendments

The 2024 amendment, effective July 1, 2024, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, rewrote paragraph (2), which read: “(2) ‘Cold case’ means a homicide:

“(A) That was committed more than three years prior to the date of an application by a designated person under subsection (c) of this Code section; and

“(B) That was previously investigated by an agency; and

“(C) For which all probative leads have been exhausted; or

“(D) For which no likely perpetrator has been identified.”; and, substituted “State Bar of Georgia” for “Georgia State Bar” at the end of paragraph (3).