Nearly 40 years after a lady was discovered useless on the facet of a street in Douglas County, investigators have recognized a suspect: considered one of Colorado’s “most prolific serial killers.”
A passing driver discovered Rhonda Marie Fischer’s physique down an embankment within the 3500 block of South Perry Park Road, south of Sedalia in rural Douglas County, on April 1, 1987, in accordance with the sheriff’s workplace.
Fischer, who was 31 on the time of her dying, had been sexually assaulted and strangled, investigators mentioned.
Back then, Douglas County detectives investigated a number of acquaintances with whom Fischer had been staying within the weeks main as much as her dying and a number of other “serial offenders” lively within the Denver space, however no arrests had been made, Sheriff Darren Weekly mentioned in a Tuesday news convention.
Now, 38 years later, the killer has been recognized as Vincent Darrell Groves, Weekly mentioned.
“Groves is considered to be one of Colorado’s most prolific serial killers,” Weekly mentioned. “Through DNA and investigative leads, he is believed to be responsible for at least 12 homicides … and, again, there is probably a lot more victims out there that law enforcement has yet to connect the dots on.”
Groves primarily focused susceptible girls between 1978 and 1988, and was recognized to victimize hitchhikers. He was convicted of homicide in 1982, however spent lower than 5 years in jail earlier than being launched, Weekly mentioned.
Fischer was final seen alive strolling north on Monaco Parkway towards Leetsdale Drive in Denver on the night of March 31, 1987. It’s unknown the place or how she could have met Groves, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office crime lab forensic supervisor Michele Kennedy mentioned throughout Tuesday’s news convention.
Kennedy mentioned Groves has lengthy been thought of a suspect on this case, however different folks had been additionally beneath investigation and detectives wanted the DNA profile to be assured.
Groves died in jail in 1996.
“While Groves cannot be held accountable in a courtroom due to his death, today we are able to finally provide answers and resolution to Rhonda’s family and her friends,” Weekly mentioned. “This case underscores our dedication at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to solving these cold cases and embracing new technologies.”
Douglas County investigators examined different proof for DNA in 2017, together with gadgets discovered with Fischer’s physique and swabs taken from her orifices, however couldn’t discover any leads, crime lab forensic analyst Shane Williams mentioned.
This 12 months, in February, the sheriff’s workplace’s chilly case workforce reviewed the proof once more and determined to check one final piece: paper luggage positioned over Fischer’s arms on the crime scene.
Coroner officers sometimes bag the arms of victims to protect any hint proof, like pores and skin cells, on the arms or beneath the fingernails, Williams mentioned.
Skin cells on Fischer’s arms — together with her personal and Groves’ — transferred to the within of the paper luggage, he mentioned.
The medical expert didn’t put the luggage on particularly to protect the DNA, which wasn’t a typical science on the time, however the course of had the lucky facet impact of safeguarding the proof investigators would use to resolve the case a long time later.
“Obtaining a DNA profile from paper bags nearly 40 years old is exceptionally rare,” Weekly mentioned.
The DNA discovered on the luggage matched proof from three 1979 homicides dedicated by Groves in Denver. The match, which Weekly mentioned investigators acquired in October, was made within the Combined DNA Index System, a nationwide DNA database maintained by the FBI.
Douglas County detectives have solved seven chilly instances within the final seven years, which Weekly known as “exceptional on any scale.” As of Tuesday morning, 35 of the county’s chilly instances remained unsolved.
“We will continue to prioritize cold cases,” Weekly mentioned. “As science evolves, so does our ability to uncover the truth. Our commitment to these investigations — and to the families who await answers — will never waver.”
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