Over three decades ago, a 20-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado was found strangled to death. Now, police believe they have caught her murderer.
On Friday, June 14, the Colorado Springs Police announced the arrest of 58-year-old Michael Whyte for the 1987 murder of Darlene Krashoc.
“Words cannot convey the satisfaction we are feeling from this arrest,” Major General David Glaser, the Provost Marshal General of the Army and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, said, according to a police report.
Krashoc was an active duty soldier assigned to the 73rd Maintenance Company at the time.
On the night of March 16, 1987, she was out with members of her unit at a local club named Shuffles, police say, according to the statement. She was last seen leaving the club between midnight and 1 a.m., police said.
The next day, her body was found behind a Korean Club Restaurant, where police suspected the killer placed the body after strangling Krashoc to death elsewhere, according to the police report.
Despite hundreds of interviews and thorough crime scene examination, as well as collection of evidence, Krashoc’s case went cold.
Homicide Arrest in 1987 Cold Case https://t.co/Pgdgc60Ubq pic.twitter.com/TowY9uXY12
— Springs Police (@CSPDPIO) June 14, 2019
“In 2016, Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), in concert with Colorado Springs Police Department, submitted evidence to the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory for additional DNA testing in a collective effort to identify additional potential leads,” Colorado Springs Police wrote in a press release.
Experts then used that DNA to find “produced trait predictions”—such as eye and hair color, skin color, freckling, and face shape—for the suspect. After combining all of these traits, a “snapshot” composite of what the suspect could look like was generated.
Darlene Krashoc’s murder suspect pictures,strangled and raped the Fort Carson soldier https://t.co/opki0Iy6yf pic.twitter.com/Z1MBSiq9rA
— infowe (@infowe) March 15, 2017
Experts created two composites, one of what the suspect may have looked like at 25-years-old, and another for what he may look like aged 50 to 55, according to the report.
In March 2017, police shared the DNA composites with the public. However, there were still no leads.
It wasn’t until earlier this year, when police submitted DNA from the crime scene for genetic genealogy analysis, that the breakthrough came.
“As a result, the investigation culminated in identifying 58-year-old Michael Whyte as the suspect in this investigation,” police said in the report.
Arrest papers obtained by 11 News detailed how authorities were able to link distant family members through a DNA ancestry organization to identify the suspect.
“After identifying the suspect, authorities tracked him to his home and followed him to work. They watched him drink from a fast food cup and then left it at the restaurant. The detectives then obtained the cup for DNA testing, helping lead to the arrest,” according to the arrest papers.
Michael Whyte was consequently arrested on June 14 for the suspected murder of Krashoc in 1987.
“There is a lot to be proud of today,” Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski said in the report. “The work done by these detectives has been nothing short of exceptional.
“Since 1987, CSPD Cold Case Detectives, Violent Crimes Detectives, and U.S. Army CID Investigators have worked tirelessly to bring this investigation to a conclusion. Throughout these last 32 years, they never lost sight of what was most important: Finding answers for Ms. Krashoc’s family.
“We hope this arrest will provide those answers and some comfort,” he added.
