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Home>> Departments>> Sheriff>> Cold Cases


Alan Grey
Age: 48
Date of Death: October 31, 1968
Location: #3 Sedgwick Way
Case #68-11238

Alan Grey moved to town less than a year prior to his murder and he was still getting acquainted with his elite Cherry Hills home. So an unexpected early return home from his business trip with CF&I allowed Alan, his wife, and their 16-year-old daughter to enjoy an evening together on Halloween, October 31, 1968. When the front doorbell rang at approximately 8:30 p.m., his daughter assumed she would be greeting the usual costumed trick-or-treaters. Instead she opened the door to a nightmare that would change their lives forever. According to her, “I was pushed up against the wall in the entry and told not to scream, but I did and that caused my father to charge down the hall, ensuing in a struggle where I was pushed into the hall bathroom, and the door was open as it opened into the room. The point was that I got a look at the two men.” The suspects, two black males were wearing transparent Halloween-type masks. One of them was brandished a handgun. As Alan ran to her aid he was confronted by the suspects. Before his wife knew what was happening, Alan was shot several times. Both suspects immediately fled the scene, leaving Alan to die a short time later during emergency surgery at Swedish hospital. The 1968 investigation yielded three suspects, two of whom are still alive and have been questioned again recently after almost 39 years. Both men are still considered viable suspects in Alan’s murder, but the Cold Case Team is seeking additional definitive evidence to either confirm or eliminate these subjects as Alan’s killers. 

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

Marilee Ruth Burt
Age: 15
Date of Death: February 26 or 27, 1970
Location:  6000 Block South Middlefield Road
Case #70-2172           

On a chilly winter evening, February 26, 1970, 15-year-old Marilee Burt finished cheerleading a basketball game at Goddard Middle School. Her home in Columbine Valley was a short distance away, so when her ride did not show up, Marilee began walking. Despite several independent witnesses seeing Marilee walk a route that included Berry Drive, Bowles Avenue and Middlefield Road, she never made it home. Marilee was last seen talking to someone in a vehicle that had stopped on South Middlefield Road. Her family began a frantic search and reported Marilee as missing to Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. Authorities immediately began canvassing the area, but she was not found that evening. The search continued into the next day and ended tragically around noon.  A Jefferson County road crew discovered Marilee’s nude body in Deer Creek Canyon, southwest from where she was last seen. It was determined that Marilee had been strangled and raped, but no solid suspect leads developed and the case went cold.  During a 1998 review of the case, evidence collected in 1970 was submitted for DNA analysis and yielded a full donor profile. This, in turn, allowed for the elimination of a long list of possible suspects. Currently, the Cold Case Team is utilizing this new genetic profile in an attempt to identify Marilee’s killer.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

 

Nadine Franklin -SOLVED
Date of Birth: September 18, 1956
Date of Death: December 31, 1971
Age: 15 Years
Case Number: 71-21991

Most often in criminal investigations there is logical chain of events, subjects and evidence which investigators use to solve their cases. In solving the case of 15-year-old Nadine Franklin’s murder, logical patterns instead gave way to a seemingly unrelated suicide, miles away from the scene of her murder.

Originally, Nadine was a ward of the State of Arizona. She ran away from the group home she was assigned to when she and her mother moved to Colorado, then Nadine allegedly sought refuge in the dangerous criminal underworld. Her associates had extensive criminal histories and were well known to area law enforcement. So when Nadine’s murder was discovered, it was only natural for police to start with the “usual suspects.” Shot four times with .38 caliber bullets, Nadine didn’t have much of a chance to survive. She was found at the corner of East Belleview Avenue and South Peoria Street, clad in a knit dress and vinyl coat on December 31, 1971 at 8:45 a.m. 

As Arapahoe County Officials were beginning their investigation into Nadine’s murder that morning, the Littleton Police Department received a call of “shots fired” around 11:00 a.m. in the area of Sterne Park, specifically the shelter area. Officers arrived at the shelter to discover the body of a young man, dead from what would be determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. The young man had a long history of severe mental illness and had been diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia. The weapon laying next to his hand was a Smith and Wesson revolver. The bullets recovered were .38 special cartridges. The case was thoroughly investigated and closed as a suicide.

Across town, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office continued their investigation into the murder of Nadine. One of the investigators collecting evidence at Nadine’s murder scene wondered if the two cases were connected. His theory was noted in the case investigation as well as the theory that one of the “usual suspects” may have killed her.  

The bullets found in Nadine’s body and the bullets found at the suicide of the young man were eventually sent to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations for comparison. That comparison determined that the gun used to murder Nadine was the same gun used several hours later by the young man to end his own life. This solid evidence linked both cases and allowed the closure in Nadine’s murder investigation

 

Elizabeth Katherine Frye -SOLVED
Age: 45
Date of Death: June 9, 1973
Location: 6900 Block South Lafayette Street
Case #73-9712

Sometimes we forget in the present day how unusual it was back in 1973 for a woman to work not only as a homemaker and mother, but also full time outside the home. In that sense, Betty Frye was ahead of her time. Married for 25 years, and an active mother of four, Betty was involved in all the usual school, sports, and extra-curricular activities of her kids, as well as the day-in/day-out responsibilities of running a large household. By 1973 three of her four kids were in college, and to get them there, Betty had rolled up her sleeves Monday through Friday and worked as a secretary. So Saturday afternoon, June 9, 1973, Betty settled into her normal weekend routine of cleaning house. Her oldest daughter had come and picked up her brother to take him to a karate class in Boulder. Betty’s husband, Herbert, later claimed to authorities that he spent part of the morning helping Betty with chores before he left to go up to Boulder himself and watch his son’s karate class. Herbert told police he returned home late in the day on Saturday with his youngest son, only to discover his wife was dead. Betty had been brutally bludgeoned to death and left discarded in the garage.

Case Update 2007:

Investigating Grand Jury indicted Herbert Duane Frye for First Degree Murder of his wife, Elizabeth Katherine Frye. The trial is pending.

Vernon Maurice Roe
Age: 43
Date Deceased:  December 15, 1974
Location: 6700 Block South Marion Circle West
Case: #74-25895

A hard working engineer for the Martin Marietta company, Vernon Roe was recently separated from his wife, though they working on reconciling their relationship. Vernon had just attended a company Christmas party that Sunday afternoon, December 15, 1974, to celebrate the season and relax with his fellow co-workers. Knowing he had dinner plans with a friend later that evening, Vernon left the Christmas party early and went home to take care of his dog before heading back out. When Vernon failed to show up for the planned dinner, his friend called him repeatedly until about 10:00 that evening, getting no answer. By the time Monday morning came, Vernon was a no-show for work. His friend went by Vernon's residence to check on him and found the front door unlocked. Lying just inside the front door, shot several times, lay the body of Vernon Roe. During the investigation, it was determined that burglary was not the motive for the killing.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

Violet Rose Newman
Violet Rose Newman was a hardworking mother and wife. On October 25, 1980 after completing her work shift at May D&F in the Southglenn Mall, one winter evening, she was last seen walking toward her car. When she did not arrive home, her husband started contacting friends and family. Her car was found several blocks from her home and it was obvious that something tragic had occurred in that car. The next day hikers in Castlewood Canyon discovered a body under some debris, off the path in the foliage.  Investigation confirmed it was Violet Newman. Evidence was present, collected and preserved back in 1980. In 2004 the evidence was reexamined and submitted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations for DNA testing.  The new testing provided a DNA profile of the murderer.  That same DNA profile was used to eliminate several suspects from the original 1980’s investigation.  A suspect matching the DNA profile has yet to be identified and the case remains unsolved. 

 

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

 

Stephanie Ann Bauman
Age: 15
Date of Death: October 28, 1980
Location: County Road 173, 5 miles South of U.S. 36
Case #: 80-12041

The teenage years are often a period of turbulence and dissention for most kids, and Stephanie Ann Bauman was no exception. With her parents separated and family relations strained, Stephanie voluntarily admitted herself into a group home. The home housed some severely troubled kids who had no where else to go, so it was often remarked on how out of place Stephanie was at the group home. The rules of the home were strict, something most teens resent, so when another group home member suggested they get out, Stephanie went. Investigators later learned that Stephanie had been gone from the facility nearly two weeks before she was found. Stephanie stayed with different acquaintances while she was on the run, switching off from time to time so as not to be a burden on them. It was later discovered that Stephanie was in the process of contacting out-of-state family members to arrange returning home. The morning of October 28, 1980, brought below freezing temperatures with it. A passing motorist on County Road 173 near U.S. 36 did a double take before stopping his car and confirming a gruesome sight. Laying in a ditch on the side of the road was the nude, bruised body of fifteen year old Stephanie Bauman, who had collapsed in the remote area of Arapahoe County and died of hypothermia. Stephanie’s clothes were found nearly a mile away, and lay in a pile. The investigation has samples of DNA evidence in this case. 

If you have any information regarding this case, you are encouraged to contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

 

Unidentified
Date of Birth: Unknown
Date of Death: Unknown, discovered April 15, 1982
Age: Mid 60’s or older
Case Number:  82-4379

Photographs are one of an investigator’s greatest tools in solving crimes. They detail scenes that can be studied over and over, often times leading to new information. Potential witnesses are aided in their recall of facts and details through the use of crime scene and subject photographs. Unfortunately, some cold cases involve victims whose remains are either partially or completely unrecognizable. When possible, dental records are used. More recently, techniques involving facial reconstruction have proven invaluable in providing physical characteristics to an otherwise unknown victim. 

Today, as on April 15, 1982, the area around Interstate 70 and Peoria Street (East of the Denver Metropolitan area on I-70 by about 40 miles) was an area of wide-open fields and farms. It was on this date and location that a rancher, during routine inspection of his field, found the skeletal remains of a human body. During their investigation, forensic experts determined it to be the body of an Anglo-American Indian male in his mid-sixties or older, who stood an average of six feet, weighed around 180 to 190 pounds and who may have suffered from arthritic pain. The body had been dressed in a striped shirt, blue pants and a baseball cap with the logo “Kicking Horse Job Corps”. There also were a number of personal effects found on him to include broken eyeglasses and a tobacco can. No cause of death could be determined. DNA and fingerprints were gathered, as well as a dental exam and x-rays, which were used to rule out numerous possible identifications. In an effort to help identify the deceased, facial reconstruction techniques were used to complete the pictures seen here. 

If you have any information regarding this case, you are encouraged to contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us.

 

Vicki Clements Carpenter
Age: 24
Date of Death: Between February 18, 1985 and April 2, 1985
Location: Cherry Creek Reservoir Spillway
Case #85-10495

Vicki was a popular, outgoing, energetic and well-liked 24-year-old woman who loved her three-year-old son and family. Vicki also loved Country-Western Dancing and was showing interest in participating in variety contests at local establishments.  Although estranged from one another, Vicki and her husband kept their relationship amicable for the sake of their son. On the evening of February 18, 1985, Vicki went to Knicks Restaurant and Saloon for the first time to participate in a fashion contest.  At about midnight she left Knicks and headed home. She never showed up and her mother, who had been on the phone all night trying to locate her, reported her as missing the next day. Witnesses at Knicks later stated they saw Vicki get into her white and maroon, 1967 Buick by herself.  The car was later found abandoned and disabled only a half mile east of Knicks, in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Vicki’s family knew that something terrible must have happened to her because she would never leave her son or family. The family continued to search for her until their hopes were dashed on April 2, 1985, when some kids who had been fishing discovered Vicki’s partially submerged body floating in the Cherry Creek spillway. Investigative leads in this case have failed to identify who is responsible for murdering this young, vivacious woman.

If you have any information regarding this case, you are encouraged to contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

John William Cliborn
Age: 47
Date of Death: March 10, 1988
Location: #14 Inverness Drive, B120
Case #88-7388

John William “Bill” Cliborn was the kind of solid, reliable guy you’d expect to see running a fledgling company. A devoted family man, Bill had previously served as a security guard, as well as a reserve officer for the Littleton Police Department. As co-owner of LAN Resources, Bill’s meticulous, organized personality lent itself well to running the company’s quality control.  On a cold and icy evening, March 10, 1988, Bill was allegedly last seen around 6:00 p.m., and spent his last hours alive working late in his Inverness Business Park office. A short time later, two of  the company’s project managers returned from completing a job downtown and were greeted by a horrifying scene. Bill Cliborn lay sprawled on his office floor, bloody and viciously bludgeoned to death.  Investigators later found nothing in Bill’s office to be stolen or disturbed, and the evidence pointed toward some solid suspect information. To date, it has not been disproved that Bill’s cold-blooded murder was committed by someone he knew. 

If you have any information regarding this case, you are encouraged to contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us. 

Marie A. Nicholaides
Age: 38
Date of Death: May 23, 1991
Location: 6900 Block South Ulster Circle
Case # 91-18253

Marie Bazzinotti-Nicholaides was described by her friends as a “quiet, sincere, intelligent girl” who graduated cum laude from Emmanuel College in Boston. She met her husband, George Nicholaides, after graduation and they moved to Colorado. In 1990, they became parents of a healthy baby boy. But Marie would not get to see the child she was so proud of grow up, and a son would never know his mother. On a stormy afternoon, May 23, 1991, Marie left work early because she wasn’t feeling well. She arrived at her Centennial home and immediately upon entering her home she was brutally bludgeoned to death. When her husband arrived home around 5:00 p.m., he found Marie’s body. She was still clutching her purse and car keys. Despite numerous witness statements, Marie’s senseless murder remains unsolved. 

If you have any information regarding this case, you are encouraged to contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us.

Michael Martinez
Age: 18
Date of Death: September 7, 1998
Location: 9000 E. Nichols Avenue
Case #98-40401

September 7, 1998 will long be remembered in Arapahoe County as one of the bloodies weekends in history. While most people busied themselves with Labor Day holiday plans, Michael Martinez and his friend, Alex Pogosyan, terrorized an Aurora neighborhood when they both shotgunned five people in cold blood, four of whom they claimed as friends, all within blocks of each other. Michael was an extremely troubled young man with a past to include being expelled from both Overland High School and Cherry Creek Prep, as well as a record with the State Division of Youth Corrections. His home life was no less turbulent, being stabbed and severely wounded by his younger brother earlier that same year.  By the time their Labor Day rampage ended, four of Michael’s and Alex’s friends were dead, along with a friend’s stepmother. Authorities were still on an aggressive manhunt for the two murder suspects when, unexpectedly, the body of one of the killers was discovered in a field northeast of Park Meadows Mall. Michael Martinez had been shot numerous times, although not with the same type of weapon used during the deadly spree. Initial information pointed to his partner in crime, Alex Pogosyan, as Michael’s killer. However investigators have leads which indicate other person(s) close to Alex and Michael were involved in Michael’s execution. An abrupt, strange ending to a horror-filled and tragic weekend. 

If you have any information regarding this case, you are encouraged to contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us. 

Rebecca Ann Bartee
Age: 41
Date of Death: Between June 4 & 7 1999
Location: 6500 E. Dayton Street
Case #99-23889

Long before she came to work for the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office, Rebecca Bartee was known as a tenacious young District Attorney in Hays, Kansas. When the time came for a fresh start, Rebecca moved to Colorado, where her duties in Arapahoe County included doggedly pursuing deadbeat parents who refused to pay their court-ordered child support. As passionate as she was about her work, Rebecca also dedicated herself to the care of her severely handicapped teenage daughter. When it became necessary to seek additional outside help for her child, Rebecca sought out, and stayed involved with, the girl’s trusted caregiver. On Friday evening, June 4, 1999, after leaving work around 5:30 P.M., Rebecca headed home for the last time in her life.  The following Monday morning found Rebecca’s office busy with a new weeks’ work but no sign or word from Rebecca Bartee. In need of a case file, coworkers went to Rebecca’s home and found the unthinkable. Rebecca Bartee was dead in her bathtub. At first the cause of death was unclear but the evidence soon pointed at homicide. The investigation along with information from the coroner’s estimates Rebecca’s time of death was within hours of her arrival home on Friday night. Investigators discovered a message left on Rebecca’s home phone requesting she call her daughters caregiver immediately. Rebecca, the devoted and loving mother would never have ignored the message, but the return phone call was never made. Rebecca’s untimely death left her family with unanswered questions and a community without their hardworking advocate.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711, or email Coldcase@co.arapahoe.co.us

 

David Kent McGonigle -SOLVED
David Kent McGonigle was reported missing on June 13, 2005 by his mother who had last heard from him in February of that same year. He had previously expressed a longing to move from the Denver area and settle in California. He ended his relationship with his long time girlfriend when she stated she was not interested in leaving Colorado. David collected some of his personal belongings and moved out of their home. Although David had a history of being out of contact with his friends and family briefly it had never been for this long of a time period and his family was troubled.  In February of 2005, David was reportedly seen in the San Diego, California area, but no one has heard from him since and foul play is a possibility. David’s mother and son are concerned about David and any information on his location or condition would be a great relief for them. 

Case Update August 2009:

In September 2005, remains located in a desert east of Phoenix, Arizona were submitted for mitochondrial DNA testing. Samples of DNA from David's family members were also collected and submitted for comparison. In addition to the DNA profile, information was obtained from David's past medical records. DNA processing on all samples was completed in August 2009 and the remains were positively identified as those belonging to David. Foul play is not suspected in David's death.