Remains found in 1973 identified as CA teen in sheriff’s ‘oldest cold case,’ cops say
Remains found near a Colorado riverbank in 1973 have been identified as a teenage girl from California, deputies say.
Using genetic genealogy, investigators identified the remains as Roxanne Colleen Leadbeater, who went missing from the Los Angeles area at age 15 in 1972, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado said in a Dec. 5 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This is our oldest cold case,” Detective Byron Kastilahn said in the post. “I am glad Roxanne has finally been identified, and some of her remaining family members have gotten answers about what happened to her. Going forward, I hope to discover what events led to her death, and how she ended up here.”
A little more than five decades ago, remains were found near a bank of the St. Vrain River, “about four miles west of Palletville,” on Nov. 19, 1973, deputies said.
For decades, the identity of the remains remained a mystery.
Then, in 2021, Kastilahn decided to take a closer look at the case, hoping “genetic genealogy might identify Jane Doe,” deputies said.
Kastilahn learned the woman was buried at Greeley cemetery and had her remains exhumed to take a DNA sample to be used in genetic genealogy testing, deputies said.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
Melissa Kraker, a forensic genealogy analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, reported in February that the remains likely belonged to Leadbeater, according to deputies.
The teen’s immediate family, her parents and brother, died, so deputies said they looked to her next closest living relatives: first cousins.
One of the cousins provided a DNA sample and confirmed the unknown remains were those of Leadbeater, deputies said.
“This case highlights the importance of preserving evidence, even for decades-old crimes,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “Advancements in DNA technology have given us a powerful tool to help solve cold cases and bring long overdue answers to the families of victims who were never forgotten.”
After speaking with the cousins, Kastilahn learned they were not close to the girl or her family, as they lived in different states, deputies said.
The cousins told deputies they remembered Leadbeater went missing in 1972 from the Los Angeles area, possibly near Redondo Beach, at the age of 15.
They said the teen’s “family had no connections to Colorado, and they did not know of any reason she would be there,” according to deputies.
The cousins were also unsure if Leadbeater “was kidnapped or ran away,” deputies said.
Kastilahn contacted law enforcement agencies in the Los Angeles area, but none had a missing person or runaway report for Leadbeater, deputies said.
Deputies said the teen is considered to have gone missing “under suspicious circumstances.”
Investigators could not determine her manner or cause of death.
An investigation into Leadbeater’s death is ongoing, deputies said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact deputies at 970-304-6464.
Weld County is about a 70-mile drive northeast from Denver.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Remains found in 1973 identified as CA teen in sheriff’s ‘oldest cold case,’ cops say."
