Website Spotlights Colorado’s Copious Cold Cases

From a sun-bleached human skull found near Idaho Springs to an infant kidnapped from his parents’ bedroom to a 53-year-old woman stabbed to death in her own kitchen, a public database created by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) features unsolved cases dating back to the 1950s.

“It’s a way for us to remember the victims,” says Audrey Simkins, Intelligence Analyst for CBI, “and that we’re always looking to pursue a resolution for the victims and their families.”

The goal of the project, launched in August of 2010, was to present as much information as possible to the public in hopes of closing these cases. Working with local law enforcement agencies, the website outlines the narrative of each crime, along with a photograph and detailed information on the victim such as weight, height, and eye color.

An update last September allows users to search through cases based on age, gender, a range of years, judicial district, and several other filters.

“I think it’s just the sheer number more than anything that I want people to realize,” says Simkins.

There are currently 1,615 cold cases in Colorado including 1,330 open homicides, 247 missing person cases, and the remainder falling under the category of unidentified remains or other. And that number increases every year, as cases that go unsolved for three years are added to the database annually.

One of the oldest is the homicide of 38-year-old Harold Murphy Cohen, whose body was found on Feb. 11, 1950. According to the site, Harold was a fight referee and a gambler who went by the nickname Murph. He disappeared in November of 1949, and his body was discovered three months later at Blue Lake in Jefferson County.

There are currently 1,615 cold cases in Colorado including 1,330 open homicides, 247 missing person cases.

Jenny Bado, 53-years-old, was stabbed to death in her kitchen during a failed robbery attempt on April 30, 1994. Police believe her killer fled the scene on foot from her home near Montview Blvd. and Pontiac St. in Denver.

Then there’s the macabre case of a Jane Doe, whose skull was found by hikers in Echo Park near Idaho Springs in October of 1995. Even after an exhaustive search of the area, no other remains were discovered. Jane Doe has never been identified, as the teeth do not match any dental records on file.

One of the most unsettling cases is that of the Bennett family. The father, 27-year-old Bruce Alan Bennett, mother, 26-year-old Debra Bennett, and 7-year-old daughter Melissa Bennett, were all found murdered on January 16, 1984 in their home at 16300 East Center Drive in Aurora.

Debra died from blunt-force trauma to the head, and Bruce and Melissa both died from “sharp force” injuries and blunt-force trauma. There was also evidence that Melissa had been sexually assaulted.

In addition, the Bennett’s 3-year-old daughter was found in the home. She also suffered blunt-force trauma but survived.
One of the youngest victims is Christopher Enoch Abeyta, who was kidnapped from his parents’ bedroom at night on July 15, 1986 when he was only 7-months-old. The only clues left behind was an opened window in the basement and a missing garage-door opener.
An age-progression photo of Christopher is featured on the website, the image created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The database also features solved cases, such as that of Denise Oliverson of Grand Junction who disappeared on April 6, 1975. Her body was found the next day under a bridge near a set of railroad tracks. Authorities believe serial killer Ted Bundy committed the murder. Before his execution in 1989, Bundy admitted to dumping a body in a river near Grand Junction at the same time of Oliverson’s disappearance.

As of yet, no cold case has been solved directly because of the website, but Simkins points out that the database has garnered new and sometimes crucial information since its launch. For example, updated photographs have been sent in by family members of victims, and personal details (such as hair or eye color) have been added — information that was previously missing in some cases.
“I think all of those things help to resonate with someone else’s memory,” she says. “Maybe they saw this person or maybe they remember this incident.”

And the website is not the only tool CBI is using to solve these cases. “We’re always trying to be innovative and come up with other ways to keep these faces in front of the public,” says Simkins. “And another way we’re doing that is through our cold-case playing cards.”

Introduced last year, the playing cards feature the faces and information of cold-case victims with a tip line at the bottom. Three different decks have been distributed to all of the Colorado Department of Correction facilities, private prisons, and most of the local detentions centers around the state.

“The hope is that we get them in front of our incarcerated population and maybe enough time has passed and enough relationships have changed that today, someone is willing to talk who wasn’t before.”

There is some debate, however, on making the decks available to the public. “There’s some sensitivity that these are families who’ve lost loved ones. That’s something we need to make sure we’re evaluating completely before any decisions are made.”

The National Day of Remembrance took place on Sept. 25, established by Congress in 2007, in an effort to commemorate homicide victims. “Often times we focus a great deal on suspect information,” Simkins says. “And this is a day for us to remember the victims.”

Although the day of remembrance occurred after the publication of this article, Simkins encourages readers to explore CBI’s cold-case website. “Look, if there is a case that they’re familiar with, or if they’ve lost a loved one, make sure our information is accurate and complete.”

Visit Colorado’s cold-case website: Colorado.gov/apps/coldcaset

For those who might have information on a case featured on the website, contact Audrey Simkins, Intelligence Analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, at 303-239-5764 or by email at Audrey.Simkins@state.co.us