Army offers $10K reward in 1987 cold-case murder of 20-year-old female soldier; DNA profile released
03/16/2017 3:33 pm PDT
QUANTICO, Va. -- (CWD) -- The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) announced a $10,000 reward Thursday for information in the 1987 homicide investigation of 20-year-old Army Specialist Darlene Krashoc in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Krashoc was found dead in the back parking lot of a Korean restaurant located at 2710 S. Academy Blvd. in the early morning hours of March 17, 1987.
From the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command:
The night prior to her death, Krashoc went to a local club named Shuffles located at 1861 S. Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, Colo., with some members of her unit where she spent the evening drinking and dancing. She was last seen leaving the club between 12 midnight and 1 a.m., and her body was discovered several hours later at 5:30 a.m. by patrolmen from the Colorado Springs Police Department.
All available evidence indicated that her body had been placed in the location cited above after she was killed.
After a thorough crime scene examination, collection of evidence, and hundreds of interviews, the case went cold. In 2004 and 2011, the investigation was reopened for laboratory testing and an unknown DNA profile that genetically types as male was located on several pieces of evidence.
In 2016, Special Agents from Army CID, in concert with Colorado Springs Police, submitted 27 pieces of evidence to the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory for additional DNA testing in a collective effort to identify additional potential leads.
In December 2016, CID sought the services of a DNA technology company that specializes in DNA phenotyping; the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence.
Using available DNA evidence from the investigation, the analysis produced trait predictions for the suspect. 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 approximately 25 years old, as well as a composite picture depicting what the suspect may look like now at the approximate age of 50-55 years old (The age depictions of the suspect are approximate as the true age of the suspect remains unknown).
It is important to note that the composites are scientific approximations of appearance based on DNA, and are not likely to be exact replicas of appearance. Environmental factors such as smoking, drinking, diet, and other non-environmental factors — e.g., facial hair, hairstyle, scars, etc. — cannot be predicted by DNA analysis.
The DNA composite results pictured above, have greatly assisted in narrowing down and prioritizing any remaining suspects. Army CID and CSPD are requesting the public's help in identifying the suspect.
If you have any information regarding this investigation or if the DNA prediction results resemble someone you may know or knew at that time, contact your local Army CID office or CID Headquarters in Virginia at (844) ARMY-CID or (571)305-4375 or email Crime Tips at Army.CID.Crime.Tips@mail.mil.; or the Colorado Springs Police Department (Detective Montez or Investigator Browne) at (719) 444-7000; or the Pikes Peak area Crime Stoppers at (719) 634-7867.
Individuals wishing to remain anonymous will be honored to the degree allowable under the law and the information will be held in the strictest confidence allowable.
