Colorado woman from 1993 cold case identified through DNA
Rebecca Ann “Becky” Redeker was identified 27 years after her body was found at a makeshift campsite south of Denver
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A former Jane Doe found near a campground south of Denver in the summer of 1993 has been positively identified, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday, according to reports.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Pike San Isabel National Forest near Rainbow Falls on June 15, 1993, after Rebecca Ann “Becky” Redeker’s body was found in a makeshift campsite, according to KMGH-TV.
“Being a deputy at the time this investigation was going on and now the sheriff -- it’s an honor to be able to say her name out loud to the public and to give her name some credibility and hopefully folks can assist us in the investigation,” Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said during a news conference.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Her body was identified as a 20-year-old woman but she remained a Jane Doe for the past 27 years.
“I cannot stress enough that if you knew anyone or you knew Becky or you had anything connected in Becky’s life, please call our office and help us identify the suspect or suspects that were responsible for her death," Spurlock said, according to KMGH.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rebecca Ann “Becky” Redeker (Douglas County Sheriff's Office)
Investigators said she had likely died within 72 hours of finding her body but her cause of death is still undetermined and no one has been arrested in connection with her death.
Last month, a Douglas County detective received some undisclosed information that helped lead to Redeker’s identification, FOX 21 in Colorado Springs reported.
Redeker’s body was exhumed after the case was reopened and the department partnered with United Data Connect, a Denver-area DNA and forensic company, to identify her.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The investigation continues into the circumstances around her death. It was not immediately clear the condition her body was in when it was discovered.
"I had no idea that this case would haunt me for 27 years," Douglas County Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth said. Nicholson-Kluth was a deputy at the time Redeker’s body was found. "There’s now a family that we know this girl belonged to. She is someone. She is no longer our Jane Doe. Thank God for that.”
Redeker was listed as a missing person in the area. The sheriff’s office said she was likely homeless at the time, according to KMGH.
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Redeker’s family has since moved away but Spurlock says her mother and brother are cooperating with the investigation and giving information about her, FOX 21 reported.