The Weld County Sheriff’s Office is once again asking the public to help crack a decades-old mystery, revisiting the 1985 disappearance and death of 20-year-old University of Northern Colorado student Denise Davenport. Davenport vanished from South Greeley in February 1985 and was later found in the South Platte River.
Sheriff's office revives file, renews call for tips
In a Feb. 24 Facebook post, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office urged anyone with information about the case to contact its tip line, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. The agency also directs the public to its detailed cold case summary, which notes that Davenport was last seen leaving the Greeley Mall on Feb. 24, 1985. Her boyfriend’s blue Mazda RX-7 was found a few days later in a student dormitory parking lot, and her body was recovered on April 20, 1985, from the South Platte River between 18th Street and U.S. 34, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Files.
What investigators say
Byron Kastilahn, the lead cold case detective at the Weld County Sheriff’s Office, told the Longmont Leader that the case remains “very mysterious” and that investigators have turned up few reliable leads over the years. Kastilahn told the paper he plans to resume work on Davenport’s file and is inviting new tips that could finally move the investigation forward.
Past leads and why the case is hard to solve
Local reporting shows detectives have chased down occasional leads over the decades, including a tip reported to the Greeley Tribune in 2009, but no arrests have ever been made and the case remains open, according to North Forty News. Investigators say the condition of Davenport’s remains, combined with the passage of time, limited what forensic evidence could be gathered in 1985, which has complicated efforts to identify a suspect.
If you have information, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office asks you to call the anonymous tip line at (970) 304-6464 or email [email protected], according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Files. The Longmont Leader also reports that Detective Byron Kastilahn can be reached directly at (970) 400-2827 for anyone who prefers to speak with the investigative team.
