More than 51 years after a young mother was gunned down on a lonely stretch of road north of Roggen, Weld County detectives are still chasing answers. On June 24, 1975, 23-year-old Marjorie Sue Fithian was found with a gunshot wound to the head, her 18-month-old son sitting beside her and holding her hand. Ranch hand Terry Furnish came across the scene that morning and called for help. The child survived, but he has no memory of the attack.
Weld County Sheriff's Office summary
According to the Weld County Sheriff's Office, investigators have worked Fithian's case for decades, but "no leads have conclusively explained her murder." The agency's Cold Case Files entry notes that Fithian and her son were supposed to be driving back to Greeley after a family visit in Denver, yet they were instead found on a desolate gravel road roughly 50 miles away. Detectives have outlined possibilities ranging from hitchhiking to potential drug-related activity, but the office says none of those theories has ever been substantiated.
Scene details and early evidence
Local reporting and investigators' files add a few stark details. Deputies reported recovering a spent .25-caliber casing at the scene, along with a suitcase containing clothing and a phone number for Fithian's mother, plus tire tracks near Weld County Road 386 north of Roggen. Witnesses later told reporters they had seen Fithian and her son at a Roggen café that morning, but shifting accounts and sparse physical evidence kept charges from being filed, according to The Fence Post.
Podcast spotlight and a new cold-case detective
The case received a fresh burst of attention in 2022 when the true-crime podcast The Deck devoted an episode to Fithian, but the renewed spotlight has not led to new breaks. In March, Denver7 reported that the sheriff's office had hired Detective Byron Kastilahn as a full-time cold-case investigator. Kastilahn told reporters he is re-examining old files and exploring modern tools such as genetic genealogy.
How to contact investigators
The sheriff's office is again asking anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be shared by calling the tip line at (970) 304-6464, emailing [email protected], or contacting Detective Kastilahn directly at the number listed on the county's page. The office's Cold Case Files entry for Fithian includes photos and a short case summary that may help jog memories, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office.
