According to a news release from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office, on February 14, 2000, a man was walking his dog in a field near E. 8th St. and WCR 43 when he came across human remains. Weld County deputies and investigators responded to the scene and investigated and found no evidence of foul play.
Shortly after the male was found, his remains were sent to an anthropologist, who determined that they were that of a white male, between 35 and 50 years old and standing 5’4″ tall. The identity could not be determined. body weight of the male, and was believed to have a possible tattoo in the center of his back. There was no indication of trauma and the cause or manner of death could not be determined due to the man’s advanced state of decomposition. to the unidentified man found on Valentine’s Day 2000, John Doe 2000.
In 2022, forensic genetic genealogy was performed using DNA from the remains of John Doe 2000, leading to family members in Nevada who voluntarily submitted their DNA to help solve this case.
In December 2023, cold case detective Byron Kastilahn got the break he had been waiting for when genetic genealogy test results came back and John Doe 2000 was tentatively identified as Christopher Scott Case. Further genetic testing was carried out to confirm that the remains were indeed those of Christopher Case, and the test results confirmed this.
Before his death, Christopher Scott Case lived in Rock Springs, Wyoming and was last seen by his half-brother in 1998 in Nevada.
“This case was as cold as it gets. There was no evidence other than human remains. If not for forensic genetic genealogy, Christopher Case would never have been identified. After learning about forensic genetic genealogy in 2020, he wanted to try to include all of our unidentified human remains (UHR) cases in that process. So far, we have identified three UHR cases and I hope all of them can be identified eventually,” said Byron Kastilahn, cold case detective with the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
Regardless of the passage of time, our dedication to solving all cold cases remains unwavering. In unsolved cases like Christopher’s, we tirelessly pursue investigative leads, employ forensic tools, and hope he is identified, so his story is told and his loved ones find peace by getting the answers they deserve.
Wyoming Cold Cases
Wyoming law enforcement agencies are working cooperatively on cold cases located throughout the state of Wyoming. A brief summary of each case and unsolved homicide case is provided. Anyone with information about any of these cases is asked to contact the jurisdiction’s law enforcement agency or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
NOTE: This does not include all missing persons cases. These are cases that the DCI has classified as “cold.” For a complete list of missing persons, see the DCI website.
Anyone with information about the following cases is asked to call the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation at (307) 777-7181.
Gallery credit: Kolby Fedore
Wyoming Prison Dog Training Program
Gallery Credit: Kolby Fedore, Townsquare Media
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