More than two decades after a summer house party in Towaoc ended in tragedy, the FBI’s Denver office is again asking the public for help, this time with up to $10,000 on the table for a solid tip that leads to an arrest and conviction in the killing of Odell Vest.
Investigators say Vest was last seen during a house party in Towaoc on the night of July 10 to 11, 2000. His homicide remains unsolved.
What investigators say
On its seeking-information page, FBI Denver lists Vest’s date of birth as Dec. 1, 1978, and describes him as a Native American man about 5 feet 11 inches tall and roughly 250 pounds. According to the bureau, he was last seen inside a residence on Lafayette Street in Towaoc during that July 10 or 11, 2000 house party.
Why the case was reopened
Vest’s killing was pulled back into focus under the Justice Department’s National Strategy to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, which prompted FBI Denver and Durango investigators in 2021 to reexamine several reservation cold cases. That review flagged Vest’s death as a case that might still be cracked and led to wider circulation of a seeking-information poster across Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, officials told The Journal.
How to submit tips
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s Denver Field Office at (303) 629-7171 or submit a tip online, according to a Denver press release from the agency. The FBI is offering up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible, and agents say they are working with tribal law enforcement on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. See FBI Denver for full details.
Other local context
Vest’s case is one of at least two Four Corners area cold cases highlighted in the 2021 review. Investigators also pointed to the 2004 disappearance and homicide of Avery Whiteskunk in the same community. Coverage of the renewed push and the $10,000 reward has appeared in outlets such as CBS Colorado.
The FBI’s social media post with the poster went out on the agency’s X account, which is embedded above. Anyone who recognizes Vest or remembers anything about that July 2000 house party in Towaoc is urged to contact investigators. Even a detail that seems minor could turn out to be the missing piece in the case.
