Hi, I’m Sarah Cailean.

As a former police officer with a decade of service in federal and municipal law enforcement agencies, I am currently serving as a civilian Special Investigator for the Mobile County (AL) Sheriff’s Office major crimes squad leading the investigation into a 28-year-old cold case homicide.

I am also a team investigator for the Cold Case Foundation, the nation’s premier non-profit investigative consultancy group founded and led by the FBI’s original BSU profilers. 

In 1998, I began my career in law enforcement as an agent for the National Park Service. In 2001, I transitioned to municipal/state level policing, and trained at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. An alumna of Tiffin University, I studied both Criminal Justice Administration and Criminal Behavior, with a specialization in serial sexual predators and serial killers.

My master's thesis work involves the escalation of sociopathic predatory behavior and training patrol-level officers and small department detectives to recognize these behavior patterns more effectively. During my time as a commissioned officer, I became certified as an instructor for both the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and the National Ranger Training Institute (a federal police academy for the Department of the Interior), teaching new officers areas that include Domestic Violence Response, Dynamic Building Searches, and Firearms Training.

I hold additional certification for advanced training in Urban Defensive Rifle Tactics, and Advanced Vehicle Crash Investigation. While working at the Groveport (OH) Police Department, I served as a key member of an investigative task force with a focus on online sexual predators that target juveniles. The bureau's work over a one year period netted dozens of online predators and boasted a 100% conviction rate at its conclusion. 

In January of 2021, I proudly became a founding member of a collaborative research study bringing together Boston College, the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University exploring the relationships between law enforcement agencies and civilian experts from various fields in achieving greater solve rates in violent crime cases. The project is also led by Dr. Michelle Patch, a leading expert in strangulation violence response, and Dr. Ann Burgess, creator of the science behind criminal profiling of serial killers and the nation’s foremost expert in serial violence and rape trauma for more than forty years. The team is currently accepting case partnerships from law enforcement agencies. Consultation requests can be submitted here.

While I enjoy my travels around the country for live events and casework, my heart is in Philadelphia with my family, real cheesesteak sandwiches, and a house full of pets — most importantly, my amazing Corgi named George.