Investigators are hoping that an increased reward amount and a newly-created suspect photo will help them solve a 1987 murder case, the Army confirmed on Monday.
FOX News reports that Spc. Darlene Krashoc, 20, of the 73rd Maintenance Company was murdered on March 17, 1987. She was found around six miles from the Fort Carson Visitors Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The murder has been frustrating to detectives for 30 years. It was re-opened in 2004 and again in 2011 with no luck, but authorities aren’t giving up. They’ve not only increased the reward amount to $10,000 that will go to anyone who provides valid information that leads to an arrest and conviction, but they also have a new sketch of the suspect, thanks to DNA technology.
Army investigators use DNA to create images of suspect in 1987 homicide of Fort Carson Army Spc. Darlene Krashoc – https://t.co/EasRQeFALY pic.twitter.com/BYk0uiNSI8
— FOX31 Denver KDVR (@KDVR) March 13, 2017
The new DNA technology uses phenotyping, which according to an Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) press statement, simply means “the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence.” For the first time in 30 years, investigators were presented with the suspect’s hair color, eye color, and face shape.
“We are always looking for someone who is remorseful or has held onto information for all this time. We want to bring justice to this young lady who lost her life,” said CID spokesperson, Christopher Grey.
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The Backstory
Krashoc was last seen on March 17, 1987, at the former Shuffles nightclub at 1861 S. Academy Blvd., where she danced and joked around with other soldiers. She left the club at sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., according to court documents.
Colorado Springs police found her body during the early morning hours of March 17. She was lying lifeless in a back parking lot only a mile away from Shuffles, at the former Korean Club Restaurant, located at 2710 S. Academy Blvd. Investigators stated that her body was likely dumped there after she was murdered in a different location. She was beaten, bitten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death with leather straps and a coat hanger.
A week prior to the murder, Krashoc told her mom that she was fed up and wanted to leave the Army, but she didn’t elaborate on what happened to make her so upset. After police combed through hundreds of interviews, collected evidence, and followed up on numerous leads, the case went cold. However, authorities are hopeful that the new photo and the re-emergence of the case may prompt someone to come forward with information.
Anyone with any information is urged to call CID Headquarters in Virginia at 1-844-Army-CID or 571-305-4375. Emails should be sent to Crime Tips at Army.CID.Crime.Tips@mail.mil. Callers can also contact Detective Montez or Investigator Browne with the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000, as well as the Pikes Peak area Crime Stoppers at 719-634-7867.
[Feature Photo: U.S. Army]
