Teree Becker: Family of ‘free-spirited’ woman gets closure as killer identified after decades of murder
WESTMINSTER, COLORADO: The Colorado police department has cracked the murder of 20-year-old Teree Becker 48 years after she was killed.
Thomas Martin Elliot, who died in 1991 by suicide was identified as the killer of Teree Becker, a "free spirit" girl who was found dead on December 6, 1975, in Westminster, Colorado.
What happened to Teree Becker?
According to the Westminster Police Department, Becker was last seen on December 4, 1975, as she hitchhiked to visit her boyfriend at the Adams County Jail in Brighton, Colorado.
When a couple discovered her dead the following morning, it looked as though her clothes and other personal belongings had been thrown into a field. It was discovered by investigators that she had been raped and strangled.
The cold case has been investigated several times over the years, most notably in 2003 when the Colorado Bureau of Investigation collected male DNA from a piece of case-related evidence.
As per NBC News, the combined DNA Index System countrywide database was searched using the profile that was created by the DNA, but no matches were discovered.
In 2013, a DNA profile submitted to the same database by the Las Vegas Police Department matched the profile generated in 2003.
The development of the Las Vegas profile came about as a result of investigating a cold case that involved a murdered and sexually assaulted woman in the city in 1991. The same individual was identified by the police as being engaged in both incidents. At the time, neither department had a suspect.
The Westminster Police Department stated in 2018 that the Colorado-created DNA profile was "determined to be a good candidate for genetic genealogy."
Genetic genealogy compares DNA samples to each other to find people who may be related to each other. In this case, it was used to lead police to Thomas Martin Elliott.
Thomas Martin Elliott died by suicide in October 1991
Elliott was already deceased, but in October, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department obtained consent to exhume his body concerning the two homicides.
According to the police department, a detective from the Westminster Police Department was also present in Las Vegas at the time of the exhumation. After his bones were gathered and examined, the Becker cold case was finally solved when it was determined that he matched the unidentified DNA profile.
"We are thrilled we were able to solve this cold case and hopefully bring closure to the friends and family of Teree Becker," the Westminster Police Department said.
Elliott died by suicide in October 1991, police said, and was buried in Nevada.
As per CBS News, Becker's family described her as a “free spirit” who enjoyed living life “on the edge,” police said. She was remembered as being able to "hold a conversation with anyone" and enjoying painting and listening to music.
