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1996 Cold Case Homicide Solved 

On October 24th, 1996, at about 0800 hours, Aurora police officers and homicide detectives were dispatched to the alley in the 1200 block of Iola Street.  They discovered the body of twenty-five-year-old Tangie Sims.  Her body had been dumped at the location after she was violently assaulted and stabbed to death.  The initial investigation revealed Sims was last seen walking to a semi-truck.  In addition, it was determined the suspect had cut himself during the murder and had left drops of blood at the scene.  Samples of the suspect’s blood were recovered.

Unfortunately, the case went cold and remained that way for a lengthy period of time.  Current MCHU Detectives Steve Conner and Michael Prince continued to work this case for the family of the victim.  They never quit following up on leads and revisiting the case file.  They knew the best chance of solving this homicide would be through the recovered blood left by the suspect and the incredible advancements that had been made in DNA analysis.

In 2019 advancements in DNA, specifically genealogical research, lead to a break in the case.  United Data Connect, Inc. through the excellent forensic work a genealogist produced a possible suspect by comparing the blood sample to known DNA from a relative.  Detectives Conner and Prince immediately began following up on this information.  The leads took them to North Dakota and Idaho where they located a member of the suspect’s immediate family.  The family member was cooperative and provided a DNA sample to the detectives. 

United Data Connect, Inc. was able to positively identify Wesley Backman DOB 04/12/1955 as the suspect in this horrible crime.  Detectives learned that Backman had passed away in 2008.  The detectives discovered Backman had been an over the road truck driver and had lived in many different locations throughout the United States to include Aurora, CO. 

The excellent work done by the original investigators, the incredible determination of Detectives Conner and Prince, as well as the amazing work done by United Data Connect, Inc. allowed the family of Sims to finally obtain some solace and closure.  The costs of this investigation were provided by Crime Stoppers which continues to provide invaluable assistance with criminal investigations. 

Detectives Conner and Prince continue to work with other police agencies across the country to determine if Backman was responsible for additional unsolved homicides.


Aurora Police Department 
Media Relations Unit
720.432.5095
Posted by [email protected]  On Jan 15, 2020 at 4:44 PM
  
APD releases DNA Phenotyping Snapshot of Suspect in Oakey Kite's Homicide Case 
Investigators have recently sought the services of Parabon NanoLabs (Parabon), a DNA technology company in Virginia that specializes in DNA phenotyping, the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. Law enforcement agencies use the company’s Snapshot™ DNA Phenotyping Service (Snapshot) for narrowing suspect lists and generating leads in criminal investigations.

Using DNA evidence from Mr. Oakey Kite’s Homicide investigation, Snapshot produced trait predictions for the associated person of interest. An individual’s predictions were made for ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling and face shape. By combining these attributes of appearance, a Snapshot composite profile was produced that depicts what the person of interest may have looked like at 25 years old.

It is important to note that Snapshot composites are scientific approximations of appearance based on DNA, and are not likely to be exact replicas of appearance. Environmental factors such as smoking, drinking, diet, and other non-environmental factors, such as facial hair, hairstyle, scars, etc. cannot be predicted by DNA analysis and may cause further variation between the person of interest’s predicted and actual appearance.

On May 24th, 2004 Officers found the body of Oakey Kite in the basement of his town home at 2002 South Helena Street. Mr. Kite had failed to report to work which prompted co-workers to call the police for a welfare check. Mr. Kite had been bound, tortured, and killed with his own kitchen knives. The suspect cleaned the crime scene after the homicide and removed items of evidence from the scene. The investigation revealed that Mr. Kite had recently placed an ad in the paper and on the internet for a roommate. This ad was answered by the suspect, who used the name Robert Cooper. The information Robert Cooper gave the victim was false. After the murder, Mr. Kite’s credit card were used at nearby Wells Fargo ATM. The suspect was photographed at the ATM machine wearing a mask and gloves in the victim’s vehicle. The victim’s vehicle was returned near the victim’s residence.

If you or someone you know can provide information on this unresolved homicide investigation, you are encouraged to contact Agent Thomas Sobieski at (303) 739-6103, e-mail [email protected].

Sanpshot


Snapshot

Acting Sergeant Diana Cooley
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
720.432.5095
Posted by [email protected]  On Dec 11, 2017 at 3:16 PM
  
APD releases DNA Phenotyping Snapshot of Bennett Family Homicide Suspect 
Investigators have recently sought the services of Parabon NanoLabs (Parabon), a DNA technology company in Virginia that specializes in DNA phenotyping, the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. Law enforcement agencies use the company’s Snapshot™ DNA Phenotyping Service (Snapshot) for narrowing suspect lists and generating leads in criminal investigations.

Using DNA evidence from the Bennett Family Homicide investigation, Snapshot produced trait predictions for the associated person of interest (POI). Individual’s predictions were made for ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling and face shape. By combining these attributes of appearance, a Snapshot composite profile was produced that depicts what the person of interest may have looked like at 25 years old.

It is important to note that Snapshot composites are scientific approximations of appearance based on DNA, and are not likely to be exact replicas of appearance. Environmental factors such as smoking, drinking, diet, and other non-environmental factors, such as facial hair, hairstyle, scars, etc. cannot be predicted by DNA analysis and may cause further variation between the POI’s predicted and actual appearance.

Between 9 p.m. January 15, 1984 and 10 a.m. January 16, 1984, twenty-seven year old Bruce Bennett, his twenty-six year old wife, Debra and their seven year old daughter Melissa, were brutally murdered inside their home located in the 16300 Block of East Center Drive. An autopsy found that Debra died from blunt force trauma. Additionally, autopsies determined that Bruce and Melissa died from blunt force trauma as well as sharp force injuries, consistent with a knife. Evidence at the scene indicated that Melissa had been sexually assaulted. A second child, the Bennett’s three year old daughter, was found alive inside the residence suffering from blunt force trauma.

If you or someone you know can provide information on this unresolved homicide investigation, you are encouraged to contact Agent Steve Conner with the Homicide Unit Cold Case Squad at (303) 739-6190, e-mail [email protected].

Bennett Homicide Suspect Parabon Snapshot at age 25Bennett Suspect Parabon Snapshot Age 55

Sergeant Chris Amsler
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
720.432.5095
Posted by Guest  On Aug 25, 2016 at 1:32 PM