The Opperman Report' Dr Alyce Clark - The Forgotten Girls - Haunting True Crime Stories of Women and Their Cold Cases (NEW 1/2/26)
Jan 5, 2026
Dr. Alyce Clark, a former police detective, Army veteran, and university professor, dives into chilling cold cases from her book, The Forgotten Girls. She shares her personal journey from aspiring pediatrician to investigator. Alyce discusses her research on the bystander effect and reveals insights about generational differences in calling police. Notably, she recounts the haunting cases of Sigrid Stevenson and Jodi Hoosentruth, showcasing the challenges of solving decades-old mysteries and proposing a groundbreaking deceased DNA databank to aid in resolving cold cases.
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Career Shift From Explorer To Professor
- Alyce Clark joined a police explorer group in high school which shifted her career from medicine to law enforcement.
- She then served in the Army, deployed to Iraq, and spent about 20 years as a police officer before becoming a university professor.
Younger People Intervene Less, But It's Mixed
- Clark studies the bystander effect among college-age students and sees generational differences in willingness to call police.
- She suspects COVID-era schooling and generational mindset shifts affect willingness to intervene.
Cold-Case Discovery Sparks The Book
- A visit to the New Jersey State Police and a cold-case file about Sigrid Stevenson inspired Clark's book.
- She and colleagues reviewed the old file and discovered preservation and custody issues that hindered modern DNA testing.
