There have been 16 unsolved murders in Seattle since January of 2010 and the Seattle Police Department, along with the Department of Justice and Crime Stoppers, is taking a new approach to solving those crimes and bringing justice to the victims’ families: billboards and Metro bus ads.

The campaign was unveiled on Sept. 17 with a billboard between Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. and Graham St., near where Danny Vega was murdered on Nov. 15, 2011.

“In partnership with the Seattle Police Department and Department of Justice, we have launched the Who Killed Me? Don’t Stay Silent! campaign because we need your help in providing us with tips and leads of what you may have seen, heard, and/or read about these crimes,” Myrle Carner, director of Crime Stoppers, said in a statement. “It is important to emphasize that your tips and leads – no matter how insignificant you may think they are or no matter how brief they may be – are pieces of powerful information that will help us find their killers.”

The campaign shows photos of murder victims along with case information on billboard space provided by Clear Channel Outdoor and on transit bus advertisements throughout King County and Seattle.

Two West Seattle murders are part of the Seattle Police Department’s “Catch a Killer” website, from which the billboard victim’s are drawn. SPD said they expect the March 12, 2012 murder of Greggette Guy along Beach Drive S.W. in West Seattle to get billboard exposure in the coming months.

Another unsolved West Seattle murder listed on “Catch a Killer” is the death of Kaari Higgins. On Jan. 8, 2011, Higgins – a mother of two children (10 and 13) was found injured and unconscious at her home on the 4000 block of S.W. Concord St. Her death was later ruled a homicide by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, as “her injuries were not caused by an accident or a fall,” according to the website. SPD declined to provide further details on the case.

A noted omission from the “Catch a Killer” list is the disappearance of West Seattle resident Jeremy Peck. (UPDATE for Nov. 6: Peck has been added to the website and police are now calling his case a homicide.) Peck was last seen by friends at the Admiral Pub on Dec. 24, 2010. SPD Det. Mark Jamieson clarified the Peck case is not part of the unsolved murder list because it was never officially declared a homicide. Peck’s body was found on the shores of Bainbridge Island 19 days after his disappearance and while medical examiners were able to identify him, they were unable to rule his death a homicide.

Jamieson said Peck’s death is still being investigated as suspicious, clearly illustrated by the July 2011 release of a search warrant affidavit that revealed detectives were looking closely at two people of interest who were with Peck the night of his disappearance. Despite circumstantial evidence potentially tying the two men to Peck that Christmas Eve (you can read more about that here), no arrests have been made.

Back to the “Who Killed Me?” campaign, organizers reiterated the importance of contacting police with any information you might have on these cases.

“As chair of the Seattle Police Department’s African American Community Advisory Council, I urge anyone who may know something to step up to the plate and do the right thing,” Paul Bascomb said in a statement. “Remember that you have the option to remain anonymous if you do know something – anything, but are reluctant to give up that piece of information, which can lead to an arrest and make our community safer.”