Years ago, one sheriff's investigator was so involved in the case that he worked it on his days off, searching, digging and looking for hard-to-find clues.

CNN: Cold case: 'Precious' girl vanished in '77

And although Lord Wakeham has a reputation as a fixer rather than a radical, his first consultation paper, published last week, surprised some constitution-watchers by posing more searching questions than expected such as whether there is a case, not broached in the white paper, for giving the upper house extra powers as a constitutional watchdog.

ECONOMIST: Lords reform

After days of false leads, going door-to-door, searching frozen mountain passes, the officers thought this might be the break in the case.

CNN: Dorner manhunt: A car chase, a gunfight and a fiery cabin