fishingcreek
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Any one know where her family is?
CO - Darlene Krashoc, 20, murdered, Colorado Springs, 17 March 1987 *ARREST in 2019*
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Kell1
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No Idea honestly, but I missopke whn I said Ive never seen a wire hanger used as a murder weapon, I know Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris used that very method to kill many of their victims,
I've never personally seen it
I do~
I'm curious as to why you talk about horses here.
PommyMommy
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DNA evidence leads to arrest of Thornton man in 1987 strangulation of Fort Carson soldier
The man now suspected in a decades-old Colorado Springs cold case was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in a suburban subdivision.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, genetic genealogy DNA analysis tied Michael Whyte to the March 17, 1987 slaying of Darlene Krashoc, an active duty soldier who was stationed at Fort Carson. Whyte now faces charges for first-degree murder, police said Friday afternoon.
He was arrested at his home in the 1500 block of East 131st Place in Thornton.
Over the years, the case went cold.
It was reopened for additional laboratory testing in 2004 and 2011, according to a news release from the Colorado Springs Police Department. That’s when investigators found an unknown DNA profile on several pieces of equipment. Police believed it belonged to a man.
This evidence was later submitted to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, which sought the services of a DNA company that uses DNA phenotyping. This analysis produced trait predictions for the suspect, allowing officers to distribute a composite photo in 2017.
[...]
The man now suspected in a decades-old Colorado Springs cold case was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in a suburban subdivision.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, genetic genealogy DNA analysis tied Michael Whyte to the March 17, 1987 slaying of Darlene Krashoc, an active duty soldier who was stationed at Fort Carson. Whyte now faces charges for first-degree murder, police said Friday afternoon.
He was arrested at his home in the 1500 block of East 131st Place in Thornton.
Over the years, the case went cold.
It was reopened for additional laboratory testing in 2004 and 2011, according to a news release from the Colorado Springs Police Department. That’s when investigators found an unknown DNA profile on several pieces of equipment. Police believed it belonged to a man.
This evidence was later submitted to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, which sought the services of a DNA company that uses DNA phenotyping. This analysis produced trait predictions for the suspect, allowing officers to distribute a composite photo in 2017.
[...]
Police said the process, called phenotyping, uses DNA to predict traits such as ancestry, hair and eye color and face shape.
Authorities made at least one of the pictures public in 2017. But they have not said if that generated a tip that led to Whyte's arrest — only that DNA led them to him.
Man arrested in '87 cold case slaying of soldier in Colorado
Authorities made at least one of the pictures public in 2017. But they have not said if that generated a tip that led to Whyte's arrest — only that DNA led them to him.
Man arrested in '87 cold case slaying of soldier in Colorado
jaejae
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Here is another recent article about this case:
How Army CID, police found suspect in 1987 cold case of soldier killed near Fort Carson
How Army CID, police found suspect in 1987 cold case of soldier killed near Fort Carson
jaejae
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Here is an interesting article about the arrest in this case:
DNA testing leads to break in decades-old Colorado murder case. But privacy questions are being raised.
DNA testing leads to break in decades-old Colorado murder case. But privacy questions are being raised.
Legally Bland
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An El Paso County jury has reached a guilty verdict in a murder case that was cold for decades until DNA evidence led investigators to a suspect.
Michael Whyte was convicted Thursday in the 1987 killing of Darlene Krashoc.
Krashoc was an active duty soldier stationed at Fort Carson when she was slain on March 17, 1987. Her body was found behind a Colorado Springs restaurant by officers on routine patrol, and the coroner determined the 20-year-old had been strangled.
Verdict reached in cold case murder of Fort Carson soldier | 9news.com
Michael Whyte was convicted Thursday in the 1987 killing of Darlene Krashoc.
Krashoc was an active duty soldier stationed at Fort Carson when she was slain on March 17, 1987. Her body was found behind a Colorado Springs restaurant by officers on routine patrol, and the coroner determined the 20-year-old had been strangled.
Verdict reached in cold case murder of Fort Carson soldier | 9news.com
imstilla.grandma
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Thanks to CSPD’s willingness to use emerging technology including DNA, Paul and Betsy Krashoc say tghey were able to look their daughter’s accused killer in the eyes decades after she was brutally murdered.
“They never quit working on it even when it went cold,” Paul told FOX21. “They never forgot. The job they did over the years, maintaining the evidence and maintaining the dna, I think they did a terrific, terrific job.”
Colorado Springs Police Department cracks down on cold cases
“They never quit working on it even when it went cold,” Paul told FOX21. “They never forgot. The job they did over the years, maintaining the evidence and maintaining the dna, I think they did a terrific, terrific job.”
Colorado Springs Police Department cracks down on cold cases
CastlesBurning
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Anonymous2022
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Wondering if any of you were at or watched the trial. It sounds like there was more than 1 DNA profile with Michael Whytes being the main one and there not being enough of the other to get a profile? Possible there was another person involved? Were the teeth imprints a match to Michael Whyte?
ifindedout
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Sentenced to LWOP in July 2022.
Michael David Whyte, 60, of Thornton, was found guilty June 24 of first-degree murder in the March 17, 1987, killing of Army Spc. Darlene "Krash" Krashoc, according to the Army Criminal Investigation Command. Whyte was then a 26-year-old soldier stationed at the base with Krashoc, who was assigned to the 73rd Maintenance Company.
A U.S. Army vet was sentenced to life in a Colorado prison last month after DNA on a soda cup and genetic genealogy led to his conviction in the 1987 torture and murder of a female Fort Carson soldier.
Army vet sentenced to life in brutal 1987 torture-murder of female Fort Carson soldier
Michael David Whyte, 60, of Thornton, was found guilty June 24 of first-degree murder in the March 17, 1987, killing of Army Spc. Darlene “Krash” Krashoc.www.fox13memphis.com
Michael David Whyte, 60, of Thornton, was found guilty June 24 of first-degree murder in the March 17, 1987, killing of Army Spc. Darlene "Krash" Krashoc, according to the Army Criminal Investigation Command. Whyte was then a 26-year-old soldier stationed at the base with Krashoc, who was assigned to the 73rd Maintenance Company.
ifindedout
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From 2021. U.S. government work so in the public domain.
More than three decades after the body of a female Fort Carson Soldier was found, justice has finally been served.
On June 25, a Colorado Springs jury sentenced Michael Whyte to life in prison without parole for the 1987 murder of 20-year-old Army Spc. Darlene Krashoc.
Solved in 2019, the conviction comes two years after investigators from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command connected Whyte to the murder using DNA evidence. “It feels satisfying to know that the hard work and collaboration among multiple agencies in the pursuit of justice finally led to a successful resolution,” said CID Forensic Science Officer Jessica Veltri. “One that I hope brings some measure of peace to Darlene’s family and friends.”
On March 17, 1987, officers from the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) found Krashoc’s body behind the Korean Club Restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colo. She had been last seen out with fellow members of her unit at another club in the local area.
At the time of her death, Krashoc was an active-duty Soldier stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., assigned to the 73rd Maintenance Company and was five months shy of her 21st birthday. An autopsy determined Krashoc’s death was due to strangulation. Investigators concluded she was brutally murdered at a different location and later the killer moved her body postmortem to the Korean Club Restaurant.
Over the years, special agents from Army CID worked jointly with the CSPD to solve the case. Despite all the interviews and evidence collected during the crime scene examination, the case went cold.
In October 2003, the investigation was reopened to examine more evidence. Colorado Springs released all the evidence to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) and examiners there, processed the evidence using updated technology to search for clues.
“In this particular cold case, Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command used Phenotyping technology and put out a reward to generate new leads,” said Chris Grey, CID public affairs officer. “That led to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Criminal Investigation Laboratory assisting our Special Agent with the genealogy process, conducting additional forensic comparisons…”
In September 2014, Veltri was assigned the cold case while stationed at the 22nd Military Police Battalion (CID) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. She was a recent graduate of the George Washington University Forensic Science Program in Washington, D.C. David Zeliff, CID’s chief forensic science officer (FSO), said Veltri was very interested in working cold cases and eager to put her knowledge to good use.
“If an FSO that is headed out to a battalion has an interest in working on a cold case, I try to provide them one within the battalion footprint to work on while they are assigned there,” said Zeliff.
In May 2016, after a thorough review of the case, Veltri submitted 27 pieces of evidence to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory in Georgia for DNA forensic testing previously not available. This was a collective effort with the Colorado Springs Police Department to identify additional potential leads. The testing included re-analysis of previously submitted items and evaluation for Phenotyping, which Veltri had learned about while researching violent crimes.
Jennifer Coslin, now a supervisory Biologist, DNA Branch, USACIL, worked the DNA evidence provided by Veltri. “I was very impressed with SA Veltri and her initiative to use the latest technology on this case,” said Coslin, recalling when she first started working with Veltri on the case. “Investigative genetic genealogy is a rather new tool and it was able to help us breathe new life into this investigation.”
In December 2016, CID sought the services of Parabon Nano Labs, a DNA technology company specializing in DNA phenotyping; the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. This relatively new technology had never been used by CID and gave a more descript analysis of a possible suspect.
Using available DNA evidence from the investigation, the analysis produced trait predictions for the suspect in January 2017. Individual predictions were made for the suspect’s ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling, and face shape.
By combining these attributes of appearance, a “Snapshot” composite was produced depicting what the suspect may have looked like at the age of 20-25 years old, as well as a composite picture depicting what the suspect may have looked like 30 years later. In May 2019, CID received the genealogy information and a name from a hit in the database.
“Through the maternal and paternal lines they were able to identify a suspect,” said Zeliff, recalling the news received during a teleconference with the genealogy research company. “We received the investigative genetic genealogy report and there was only a single name listed in the report,” said Coslin, who had been working evidence from the case since 2005. “That was a pretty memorable moment … we were able to put a name to the unknown profile. I wasn’t sure if we would ever get to this point.”
The name was used to compare against military records and it was determined the DNA profile belonged to retired Sgt. First Class Michael Whyte who was stationed at Fort Carson at the time Krashoc was murdered. Veltri recalls being both excited and in disbelief after they “finally found him.” “Receiving the results of the genetic genealogy report and hearing how the analyst worked through publicly sourced data to identify a specific name was incredibly exciting,” she said. “We finally had a viable lead that could potentially confirm Michael Whyte was the killer.”
Chief Warrant Officer Five Joel Fitz, command chief warrant officer for CID, said the information was shared with CSPD who then conducted a surveillance operation on Whyte. The suspect still lived in the same general area where the murder occurred years ago. During the operation, a cup was collected as evidence at a fast food restaurant that Whyte had used and then disposed of in a trash can.
The DNA from the cup came back as a positive match to the DNA found at the crime scene. “I’m so happy they kept the DNA after all these years,” Rhonda Lilly, Darlene’s sister, told Army Times in 2019. “The Colorado Springs PD and Army CID never forgot about her.”
On June 12, 2019, an arrest warrant was obtained and the following day members of the Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force, CSPD Cold Case Homicide Unit, and U.S. Army CID, arrested Whyte at his residence. “As a DNA Examiner, my role is to work the evidence and report on the findings” said Coslin. “While every case that we work in the laboratory is important, cold cases bring unique challenges and rewards. I am so pleased that this case has been solved.” Coslin said she is “proud of the work” USACIL does every day and happy to be a part of the CID team.
“Through the dedication of professional effort and extra time that Special Agent Veltri was willing to dedicate to this case, we were able to ultimately get a solution of the case and in some way some small amount of closure for the family in this case,” said Zeliff. Veltri said both the Army’s crime lab and Coslin were “huge factors” in this case being solved.
“The success of this case was dependent on several factors,” said Veltri. “A thorough and professional initial investigation and crime scene processing by the original police sergeants, detectives and CID agents who worked the case in the late 1980s; the positive working relationship between the Colorado Springs Police Department and Army CID that spanned the entire investigation; the incredible professionalism and dedication of our crime laboratory partners and the open-mindedness of CID leaders to treat this case differently in order to solve it.”
New forensic science technology available to Special Agents and USACIL continues to transform the way CID solves complex felony investigations.
QUANTICO, Va. –
1987 Cold Case Solved
More than three decades after the body of a female Fort Carson Soldier was found, justice has finally been served.www.cid.army.mil
More than three decades after the body of a female Fort Carson Soldier was found, justice has finally been served.
On June 25, a Colorado Springs jury sentenced Michael Whyte to life in prison without parole for the 1987 murder of 20-year-old Army Spc. Darlene Krashoc.
Solved in 2019, the conviction comes two years after investigators from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command connected Whyte to the murder using DNA evidence. “It feels satisfying to know that the hard work and collaboration among multiple agencies in the pursuit of justice finally led to a successful resolution,” said CID Forensic Science Officer Jessica Veltri. “One that I hope brings some measure of peace to Darlene’s family and friends.”
On March 17, 1987, officers from the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) found Krashoc’s body behind the Korean Club Restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colo. She had been last seen out with fellow members of her unit at another club in the local area.
At the time of her death, Krashoc was an active-duty Soldier stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., assigned to the 73rd Maintenance Company and was five months shy of her 21st birthday. An autopsy determined Krashoc’s death was due to strangulation. Investigators concluded she was brutally murdered at a different location and later the killer moved her body postmortem to the Korean Club Restaurant.
Over the years, special agents from Army CID worked jointly with the CSPD to solve the case. Despite all the interviews and evidence collected during the crime scene examination, the case went cold.
In October 2003, the investigation was reopened to examine more evidence. Colorado Springs released all the evidence to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) and examiners there, processed the evidence using updated technology to search for clues.
“In this particular cold case, Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command used Phenotyping technology and put out a reward to generate new leads,” said Chris Grey, CID public affairs officer. “That led to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Criminal Investigation Laboratory assisting our Special Agent with the genealogy process, conducting additional forensic comparisons…”
In September 2014, Veltri was assigned the cold case while stationed at the 22nd Military Police Battalion (CID) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. She was a recent graduate of the George Washington University Forensic Science Program in Washington, D.C. David Zeliff, CID’s chief forensic science officer (FSO), said Veltri was very interested in working cold cases and eager to put her knowledge to good use.
“If an FSO that is headed out to a battalion has an interest in working on a cold case, I try to provide them one within the battalion footprint to work on while they are assigned there,” said Zeliff.
In May 2016, after a thorough review of the case, Veltri submitted 27 pieces of evidence to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory in Georgia for DNA forensic testing previously not available. This was a collective effort with the Colorado Springs Police Department to identify additional potential leads. The testing included re-analysis of previously submitted items and evaluation for Phenotyping, which Veltri had learned about while researching violent crimes.
Jennifer Coslin, now a supervisory Biologist, DNA Branch, USACIL, worked the DNA evidence provided by Veltri. “I was very impressed with SA Veltri and her initiative to use the latest technology on this case,” said Coslin, recalling when she first started working with Veltri on the case. “Investigative genetic genealogy is a rather new tool and it was able to help us breathe new life into this investigation.”
In December 2016, CID sought the services of Parabon Nano Labs, a DNA technology company specializing in DNA phenotyping; the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. This relatively new technology had never been used by CID and gave a more descript analysis of a possible suspect.
Using available DNA evidence from the investigation, the analysis produced trait predictions for the suspect in January 2017. Individual predictions were made for the suspect’s ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling, and face shape.
By combining these attributes of appearance, a “Snapshot” composite was produced depicting what the suspect may have looked like at the age of 20-25 years old, as well as a composite picture depicting what the suspect may have looked like 30 years later. In May 2019, CID received the genealogy information and a name from a hit in the database.
“Through the maternal and paternal lines they were able to identify a suspect,” said Zeliff, recalling the news received during a teleconference with the genealogy research company. “We received the investigative genetic genealogy report and there was only a single name listed in the report,” said Coslin, who had been working evidence from the case since 2005. “That was a pretty memorable moment … we were able to put a name to the unknown profile. I wasn’t sure if we would ever get to this point.”
The name was used to compare against military records and it was determined the DNA profile belonged to retired Sgt. First Class Michael Whyte who was stationed at Fort Carson at the time Krashoc was murdered. Veltri recalls being both excited and in disbelief after they “finally found him.” “Receiving the results of the genetic genealogy report and hearing how the analyst worked through publicly sourced data to identify a specific name was incredibly exciting,” she said. “We finally had a viable lead that could potentially confirm Michael Whyte was the killer.”
Chief Warrant Officer Five Joel Fitz, command chief warrant officer for CID, said the information was shared with CSPD who then conducted a surveillance operation on Whyte. The suspect still lived in the same general area where the murder occurred years ago. During the operation, a cup was collected as evidence at a fast food restaurant that Whyte had used and then disposed of in a trash can.
The DNA from the cup came back as a positive match to the DNA found at the crime scene. “I’m so happy they kept the DNA after all these years,” Rhonda Lilly, Darlene’s sister, told Army Times in 2019. “The Colorado Springs PD and Army CID never forgot about her.”
On June 12, 2019, an arrest warrant was obtained and the following day members of the Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force, CSPD Cold Case Homicide Unit, and U.S. Army CID, arrested Whyte at his residence. “As a DNA Examiner, my role is to work the evidence and report on the findings” said Coslin. “While every case that we work in the laboratory is important, cold cases bring unique challenges and rewards. I am so pleased that this case has been solved.” Coslin said she is “proud of the work” USACIL does every day and happy to be a part of the CID team.
“Through the dedication of professional effort and extra time that Special Agent Veltri was willing to dedicate to this case, we were able to ultimately get a solution of the case and in some way some small amount of closure for the family in this case,” said Zeliff. Veltri said both the Army’s crime lab and Coslin were “huge factors” in this case being solved.
“The success of this case was dependent on several factors,” said Veltri. “A thorough and professional initial investigation and crime scene processing by the original police sergeants, detectives and CID agents who worked the case in the late 1980s; the positive working relationship between the Colorado Springs Police Department and Army CID that spanned the entire investigation; the incredible professionalism and dedication of our crime laboratory partners and the open-mindedness of CID leaders to treat this case differently in order to solve it.”
New forensic science technology available to Special Agents and USACIL continues to transform the way CID solves complex felony investigations.