The Weld County Sheriff's Office is once again asking the public for help in the long-unsolved 2003 death of Ault resident Margarette Brown. Brown, 40 at the time and a mother of four, was found days after placing a 911 call. Investigators say the case is still open and, so far, no leads have panned out.
Timeline of the night
According to the Weld County Sheriff's Office, Brown placed several calls between 8:17 p.m. and 8:53 p.m. on June 1, 2003. At 9:01 p.m., she dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that two women were inside her home, and she wanted them removed. The operator noted that Brown sounded intoxicated. When two deputies responded, they found the lights on in the house and the front door open with the screen door closed, but they did not locate Brown at the residence.
Discovery near county roads
Three days later, Brown's body was discovered in an irrigation canal near Weld County Roads 43 and 90, close to Ault, as reported by North Forty News. The outlet notes that investigators have interviewed many friends and family members over the years, yet no substantive leads have emerged.
Investigators' renewed plea
The sheriff's office laid out the timeline again and renewed its call for tips in a Facebook post on Thursday, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information is urged to call the Weld County tip line at (970) 304-6464 or email [email protected]. Even a small detail, investigators suggest, could finally move the case forward.
Why detectives say there is a chance
Detectives point to recent forensic advances and renewed public attention as reasons not to give up on older investigations. In late 2024, authorities used genetic genealogy to identify a 1973 "Jane Doe" as Roxanne Leadbeater, a development covered by local outlets and cited by investigators as proof that new techniques or fresh tips can still break cold cases, per Denver7.
If you have information about Margarette Brown’s death, contact the Weld County tip line at (970) 304-6464 or email [email protected]. The case is listed on the sheriff’s cold-case page as 2003W3274, per the Weld County Sheriff's Office.
