With nearly four decades of experience in criminal justice, Sheryl has dedicated her career to solving some of the country’s most difficult criminal cases while supporting victims’ families and advancing cold case investigations nationwide.

She holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Policing and is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.

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Sheryl’s law enforcement career began in 1982 at the Rape Crisis Center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She later became Director of the Metro Atlanta Cold Case Crime Analysis Squad.

During the 1996 Olympic Games, she served as the coordinator for the Crisis Response Team that planned and trained for four years and responded to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, providing victim services during one of the nation’s most significant public safety events.

For almost forty years, Sheryl has used her expertise, training, and investigative instincts to review, consult, and work on thousands of criminal cases across the United States.

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Throughout her career, Sheryl “Mac” McCollum has worked on some of the nation’s most notable criminal investigations, including the Boston Strangler, Natalie Wood, Zodiac, Tupac Shakur, Rebecca Zahau, Chandra Levy, Natalee Holloway, Honey Malone, Amber Hagerman, Susan Powell, Tami Jackson, Nacole Smith, Abby Williams and Libby German in the Delphi Murders, the Moore’s Ford Bridge Lynching, Kathleen Savio in the Drew Peterson case, Don Lewis from Tiger King, and the Missing and Murdered Children investigations involving Wayne Williams.

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In 2004, Sheryl founded the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute (CCIRI), a nationwide volunteer network that brings together researchers, practitioners, students, and criminal justice professionals to help solve unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

CCIRI has worked with more than 27 colleges and universities, over 8,000 students, and 600 experts who have volunteered their time and talents to support victims’ families and law enforcement agencies.

Her work continues to shape the future of cold case investigations through education, training, and real-world case collaboration.

Sheryl also created her own law enforcement acronym: A-WIC — “Anyone With Information Contact” — adding her own branded contribution alongside well-known terms like APB and BOLO.

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As the author of Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer and co-author of Cold Case: Pathways to Justice, Sheryl continues to educate professionals, students, and the public on criminal investigations, victim advocacy, and justice.

Through her writing, speaking, consulting, and podcast Zone 7, she remains committed to giving victims a voice, helping families find answers, and ensuring no case is ever forgotten.