Body found in Colorado 24 years ago, identified as Rock Springs man

Twenty-four years ago, a man walking his dog in a field near Greeley, Colorado, came across a dead body.

For nearly two and a half decades, all that was known about the body was that it was a deceased man, in an advanced state of decomposition, according to a statement released Wednesday by the sheriff's office of Weld County.

Through DNA testing, the body was identified as that of Christopher Scott, of Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Weld County sheriff's deputies and investigators went to the scene when it was reported in 2000, investigated and found no evidence of foul play. But authorities could not say how the man died due to the state of decomposition of his body, the statement said.

He was between 35 and 50 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and may have had a tattoo down the center of his back. Authorities found no signs of trauma.

They called Valentine's Day looking for a John Doe.

Then the DNA arrives

In 2022, investigators analyzed the man's DNA, which led them to possible relatives in Nevada who voluntarily submitted their DNA, the release said.

Weld County cold case Detective Byron Kastilahn “got the break he was waiting for” in December when the genetic test results came back, identifying John Doe as Case.

Subsequent test results also confirmed this, the ministry statement said.

“As cold as possible”

The statement said that before his death, Case lived in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He was last seen by his half-brother in 1998 in Nevada.

While his home was listed as Rock Springs and he had been missing for 24 years, Case did not appear on the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation's missing persons list, which numbered 94 people as of Wednesday morning.

“This case was as cold as it gets. There was no evidence other than human remains. Without forensic genetic genealogy, Christopher Case would never have been identified,” Kastilahn said in the release. “After discovering forensic genetic genealogy in 2020, I wanted to try to integrate all of our Unidentified Human Remains (UHR) cases into this process. So far we have identified three cases of UHR and I hope that they can all be identified eventually. »

The release said the Weld County Sheriff's Office has an “unwavering” dedication to solving all cold cases.

“In cold cases like Christopher's, we tirelessly pursue investigative leads, employ forensic tools and hope that he is identified so that his story is told and his loved ones find peace in obtaining the answers they deserve,” Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams said. added.

Claire McFarland can be reached at [email protected].