DENVER (KDVR) — Thursday marks five years since Maggie Long was found dead in her home. To this day, her murder remains unsolved.
In fact, there are hundreds of unsolved homicide cases, long-term missing person cases, and unidentified remains cases in our state where at least three years have passed since the crime happened.
The Colorado cold case task force created a list of those cases dating back to 1970. The Problem Solvers are working to highlight cold cases in our state.
Here are 10 of the cases we have highlighted this year:
Maggie Long
On Dec. 1, 2017, 17-year-old Maggie Long was found dead in her Bailey home after it was set on fire. The fire was declared an arson and Long’s death was ruled a homicide.
Many are still desperately searching for answers.
The incident started around 7 p.m. when deputies with the Park County Sheriff’s Office were called to a house fire at 3763 County Road 43 in Bailey. According to a 911 call, people were reportedly inside the home causing damage.
The sheriff’s office said a man was on the property. After the fire was put out, Long’s remains were discovered by firefighters.
Days later, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a homicide.
Investigators said that the scene showed that a physical altercation took place between Long and assailants before the fire started.
The suspects stole a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a green safe, and jade figurines, the sheriff’s office said.
The FBI released sketches for three possible suspects in the investigation:
On May 18, 2021, the FBI announced it is investigation Long’s death as a hate crime.
Investigators said whoever killed Long has either told someone or will tell someone. The truth, they say, will surface.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI or the Park County Sheriff’s Office at 303-239-4243.
JonBenét Ramsey
It has been 25 years since JonBenét Ramsey was found dead. Her murder is considered by many to be one of the most notorious cold cases.
The 6-year-old was found dead in the basement of her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996 after her family reportedly found a ransom note inside the home. An autopsy revealed Ramsey was strangled to death.
As of Dec. 2021, the Boulder Police Department said they processed more than 1,500 pieces of evidence related to the murder of Ramsey.
At that time, the Boulder Police Department said “it was actively reviewing genetic DNA testing processes to see if those can be applied to this case moving forward.” BPD said nearly 1,000 DNA samples have been analyzed.
In 2019, Burke Ramsey, the brother of JonBenét, reached an undisclosed settlement in a $750 million lawsuit against CBS. The lawsuit said that Burke Ramsey’s reputation was ruined after a television series suggested he killed JonBenét.
In 2008, then-Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy wrote a letter to John Ramsey, JonBenét’s dad, saying new DNA evidence had cleared him, his wife and son. She formally apologized for the cloud of suspicion the Ramsey’s lived under for years.
“We believe at this point it is unlikely there will ever be a prosecution,” Boulder police said in 2008
Ramsey’s mom, Patsy, died of ovarian cancer in 2006.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the BPD tip line at 303-441-1974, send an email to BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov , or contact Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.nococrimestoppers.com.
If you ever have a cold case you would like us to feature, please fill out this form or send an email to dara.bitler@digital-staging.kdvr.com :
Marcus Mason
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Denver Police Department are working to solve the cold case murder of Marcus Mason.
Police said it happened on July 22, 2007, around 10 p.m.
Mason and a friend were walking in a neighborhood near Olive Street and 35th Avenue when they were approached by a group of unknown men. Police said that one of the men shot Mason and then left the area.
Mason was pronounced dead. He was 17 years old at the time of his death. To this day, his case remains unsolved.
No suspect information has been released.
If you have any information about Mason’s murder, please contact the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000.
You can also reach out to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous by calling 720-913-7867.
Michael Conner
The Denver Police Department and Colorado Bureau of Investigation are working to solve a cold case murder from Sept. 28, 1997.
Michael Conner was found dead in his apartment near 28th and California in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood 25 years ago.
“I just don’t see the point in stabbing the man 92 times from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet,” his niece Ambroshia Conner told FOX31 on the 20th anniversary of Conner’s murder.
Conner was 35 years old at the time of his murder. To this day, his case remains unsolved.
“Somebody knows something, and all we’re asking is some justice for him,” Helen Conner told FOX31 in 2017. “Somebody had to see something that night.”
If you have any information about Conner’s murder, please contact the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000.
You can also reach out to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous by calling 720-913-7867.
Dawn DeHerrera
The Denver Police Department and Colorado Bureau of Investigation are working to find out who murdered Dawn DeHerrera after she was found dead on Jan. 2, 2003.
DPD said officers responded to a massage parlor at 2785 Speer Boulevard. When they arrived, they found the body of DeHerrera.
Police never released the circumstances surrounding DeHerrera’s death, but her case was classified as a homicide.
No suspect information has ever been released.
DeHerrera was listed as 31-years-old at the time of her murder.
If you know something about what happened to DeHerrera, you can help investigators by calling the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000. You can also contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers anonymously at 720-913-7867 and be eligible for a reward up to $2,000.
Jennifer Larsen
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Bureau of Investigation are working to solve the cold case murder of Jennifer Larsen from August of 1995.
Jennifer Larsen’s father reported her missing on Aug. 13, 1995, to the Aurora Police Department after he could not reach her.
Larsen was last seen leaving a friend’s home after a party in Aurora on Layton Drive on Aug. 10, 1995.
The sheriff’s office said Larsen’s friend and another man who was at the party said that she left around 4 a.m. the next morning. However, a neighbor said she woke up to her dogs barking around 6 a.m. and watch a woman leave and get into a red car. She was never seen again.
Larsen drove a red 1994 Toyota coupe.
A little more than a week later, her car was found abandoned by the same friend and man from the party.
Six weeks after that, a farmer found Larsen’s body in a field of sunflowers in Strasburg.
“Several strong suspect leads have been developed in this case, to include the male companion of Jenny’s best friend with his history of violence towards women, as well as other acquaintances and “friends of friends” who identified with Jenny’s carefree lifestyle,” the sheriff’s office said.
To this day, Larsen’s case remains unsolved.
If you have any information, please contact the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. You can also reach out to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous by calling 720-913-7867.
Edward Steinbach
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said Edward Steinbach was murdered on Dec. 10, 1979.
It happened in the 6300 block of S. Broadway in Littleton. Police said they responded to a single car traffic accident where the vehicle went down a 200-foot embankment.
During the investigation, police discovered that Steinbach died from a single gunshot to the head. No weapon was ever found.
Steinbach’s daughter, Sheri Carter, says she thinks of her father every day. She posts a reminder on social media every May 12, her father’s birthday.
“He may be gone but never forgotten. I love and miss him so much. No matter how hard it is don’t ever give up hope,” shared Steinbach’s daughter, Sheri Carter.
If you have any information about Steinbach or this homicide, please contact Detective Russ Hoffman, 303-795-3896.
Ronald Betzer
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Denver Police Department are working to solve a cold case murder for Nov. 7, 1974.
Police said they were called to East 23rd Avenue and Clarkson Street for a reported shooting. When they arrived to the area, they found Ronald Betzer in an alley with gunshot wounds.
Betzer, who was 23 years old at the time, was taken to the hospital. A few hours later, Betzer was pronounced dead.
No suspect information was ever released. To this day, Betzer’s case remains unsolved.
If you have any information, please reach out to the Denver Police department at 720-913-2000.
You can also reach out to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous by calling 720-913-7867.
Lynda Avery
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Aurora Police Department are working to solve a cold case murder from 1987.
The CBI said Lynda Avery’s body was found in the basement of the home where she was living on July 6, 1987.
Avery was stabbed to death and her throat had also been cut several times.
During the investigation police learned Avery was dating a man “Steve” at the time of her murder.
However, police said there were no witnesses found who could place Avery with anyone the night she was murdered.
To this day, Avery’s case remains unsolved.
Anyone with information regarding this case, is asked to please contact the Aurora Police Department.
You can also reach out to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous by calling 720-913-7867.
Stephanie Bauman
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office are working to solve a cold case murder from Oct. 28, 1980.
Investigators say that Stephanie Bauman’s body was found bruised and lying in a ditch off County Road 173 near US 36. Her clothes were found in a pile nearly a mile away from her body.
The sheriff’s office said Bauman died due to hypothermia.
Prior to her murder, the sheriff’s office said Bauman, 15, lived in a group home for severely troubled kids who had nowhere to go. Two weeks before she was found dead, Bauman reportedly ran away from the group home.
During the investigation, deputies learned that Bauman was in the process of contacting out-of-state family members to arrange returning home.
To this day, her case remains unsolved.
The sheriff’s office said there are DNA samples taken during the investigation as evidence.
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@arapahoegov.com.
