Timothy Kuhn Dismissal

We are saddened and dismayed to learn that the charges against Timothy Kuhn have been dismissed due to the Judge ruling that there was a record keeping issue within the initial investigation, in 2005.

Beginning in 2018, the Major Crimes Unit began reviewing the cold case file into the 2004 brutal murder of 8- year old Savannah Streber. During this review, information was uncovered that led to the 2023 arrest and indictment of Timothy Kuhn.

Last week, it was learned that in 2005, Investigator(s) received information indicating Kuhn as the suspect but the court ruled was insufficiently documented or acted upon. Ultimately, this ruling led to today’s dismissal of the charges.

One of the challenges of cold case investigation is working though outdated technology and recollections of incidents, that in this case, occurred over twenty years ago. Since 2005, the Rochester Police Department has implemented multiple record keeping technologies, as well as adjusted policies and procedures to ensure all investigative documentation is submitted electronically and is trackable for years to come. This includes, in the last several years, checklists that have been added to every arrest to ensure that every piece of documentation, including hand-written notes, are entered into our electronic database. We will be reviewing these procedures on a department wide level in order to continue preventing incidents like this from happening again.

Despite today’s deeply saddening setback, our Major Crimes Unit will continue to investigate cold cases and will do everything within our power to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions. Our hearts go out to the Streber family during this difficult time.