The Sleuth Collective

The Investigation Desk is your personal command centre for cold case research — a digital workspace where evidence, timelines, and AI-powered insights come together in one place. Whether you're tracking a single case or investigating connections across multiple unsolved crimes, the Investigation Desk gives you the tools that were previously only available to professional investigators.

What Is the Investigation Desk?

Think of it as your own private evidence board — but digital, intelligent, and connected to the most comprehensive database of Australian cold cases ever assembled. The Investigation Desk is where you organise your research, pin critical evidence, build timelines, and let AI help you spot the connections that matter.

Every case you investigate, every piece of evidence you collect, every note you make — it all lives in your Investigation Desk, accessible from any device, at any time.

Core Features

Evidence Board

The centrepiece of the Investigation Desk is your evidence board. Pin case files, photographs, documents, witness statements, and your own notes to a visual workspace. Drag and drop to organise. Draw connections between items. Build the picture that makes sense to you.

This isn't a static pinboard. It's a living workspace that grows with your investigation.

Personal Case Notes

Keep detailed notes on every case you're following. Tag them, search them, and cross-reference them with evidence on your board. Your notes are private by default — share them with study group members when you're ready.

Timeline Builder

Construct detailed timelines for any case. Add events, tag them with evidence, and visualise the sequence of events that led to — and followed — the crime. The timeline builder helps you spot gaps in the record and inconsistencies in the narrative.

Save and Organise Evidence

Found something important? Save it directly to your Investigation Desk from any case file on the platform. Evidence items, timeline events, photographs, documents — everything can be pinned to your personal workspace with a single click.

AI-Powered Investigation Tools

The Investigation Desk doesn't just store your research — it actively helps you investigate.

AI Case Analysis

Run AI analysis on any case in your desk. The system examines the full body of evidence — timelines, witness statements, forensic reports, and community contributions — to identify patterns, flag inconsistencies, and suggest investigative leads. It's like having a research assistant who never sleeps and never forgets a detail.

AI Web Research

Point the AI at a case and let it scan the internet for relevant information. News archives, public records, forum discussions, government databases — the AI searches sources you might never think to check and presents its findings in a clear, organised format.

Evidence Tagging and Categorisation

AI automatically tags and categorises evidence as you add it to your desk. Photographs are analysed for content. Documents are summarised. Connections to other cases are flagged. You spend less time organising and more time investigating.

Cross-Case Pattern Detection

Working on multiple cases? The AI can analyse your entire desk to identify patterns across cases — similar methods, overlapping locations, matching timelines, connected persons of interest. These cross-case connections are where some of the most significant breakthroughs happen.

Collaboration Features

Study Groups

Create or join study groups focused on specific cases or themes. Share evidence, discuss theories, and coordinate research with other investigators. Study groups have their own shared workspace within the Investigation Desk, so everyone stays on the same page.

Support Groups

Connect with families, advocates, and fellow community members who share your commitment to specific cases. Support groups provide a space for emotional support alongside investigative collaboration.

What's Available at Each Membership Tier

The Investigation Desk scales with your commitment. Here's what you get at each level:

Community (Free)

Browse all case files on the platform

Read timelines, evidence, and discussions

3 AI case analyses per month

Track up to 10 cases on your watchlist

Contributor ($9.99/month)

Full Investigation Desk access — your personal evidence board

Personal case notes

Submit tips and evidence to case files

Unlimited AI analysis

Create and attend community events

Join support groups

50GB storage for your research materials

Analyst ($19.99/month) — Most Popular

Advanced Investigation Desk — link evidence, upload photos, connect timeline events

Study Groups — collaborate with fellow investigators

AI evidence tagging and categorisation

Web search integration — AI scans the internet for case-relevant information

Full audit logs of your research activity

500GB storage

Founding Member ($199 one-time) — Limited to 100

Everything in Analyst, permanently

Lifetime access — never pay again, all future features included

1,000GB storage

Founding Member badge

Early access to new features as they're developed

Getting Started

Ready to set up your Investigation Desk? Here's how to begin:

1. Choose a case from our case database that interests you
2. Save evidence to your desk by clicking the pin icon on any evidence item, timeline event, or document
3. Organise your board — arrange items visually, draw connections, and add your own notes
4. Run AI analysis to surface patterns and leads you might have missed
5. Join a study group or start your own to collaborate with other investigators

The Investigation Desk is designed to grow with you. Start with a single case, and before long you'll have a comprehensive research workspace that rivals anything available to professional investigators.

The Tools Are Ready. The Cases Are Waiting.

Australia's cold cases deserve dedicated, organised, intelligent investigation. The Investigation Desk puts the tools in your hands — and AI at your side — to make that happen.

Start investigating now and see what you can uncover.