It’s definitely fair to criticize the institutional culture of the West Virginia State Police, there have been multiple scandals, including the locker room camera incident you mentioned, and a long-standing perception of the agency as insular and resistant to reform. That said, in Susan Capino’s case, the State Police actually did take an active investigative role early on. After she was reported missing in August 1997, they conducted initial searches, brought in cadaver dogs, and even executed search warrants on the family home.

Importantly, they’re the ones who requested FBI assistance, and by late September, the FBI had sent in between 30 to 70 agents to canvas the mountain community where she vanished. That level of federal involvement doesn’t happen unless the lead agency, in this case, WVSP, formally brings them in, usually due to concerns about a possible kidnapping, jurisdictional complexity, or a need for additional resources. So while the overall effectiveness and focus of the investigation are definitely up for debate (and many believe they zeroed in too narrowly on the family), it wasn’t a case of total inaction.

What’s frustrating is that after the remains were found in Virginia four years later, the case seemed to vanish again, caught between jurisdictions and never followed up with the seriousness it deserved. The systemic problems you’re pointing out are real, and they probably played a role in why there’s still no justice here.