03/28/2025
***WCSO PRESS RELEASE*** December 5, 2024
WCSO Cold Case: Jane Doe 1973 identified as Roxanne Leadbeater
On November 19, 1973, the unidentified remains of Jane Doe 1973 were discovered near the bank of the St. Vrain River, north of Highway 66 and four miles west of Platteville, CO.
In 2021, Cold Case Detective Byron Kastilahn examined the investigation with the hope that genetic genealogy might identify Jane Doe. Det. Kastilahn searched for where Jane Doe’s remains were interred, eventually finding her in Linn Grove Cemetery in Greeley. In April 2022, Jane Doe’s remains were exhumed to obtain usable DNA for genetic genealogy.
In February 2024, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Forensic Genealogy Analyst, Melissa Kraker, provided a genetic genealogy report showing evidence that Jane Doe was likely Roxanne Colleen Leadbeater. Unfortunately, Roxanne’s parents and brother were deceased, so the closest living relatives were some first cousins.
Det. Kastilahn contacted the cousins and learned that they weren’t close to Roxanne and her family due to living in different states. They all remembered that she had gone missing around 1972, when she was only 15 years old. Roxanne’s cousins indicated she and her family had no connections to Colorado, and they did not know of any reason she would be there. They said the family didn’t know if Roxanne was kidnapped or ran away.
Around the time Roxanne went missing, her cousins believed she and her family were living in the Los Angeles area, maybe around Redondo Beach. Det. Kastilahn contacted law enforcement agencies in the Los Angeles area, including the Redondo Beach Police, Huntington Beach Police, Inglewood Police, Hawthorne Police, Los Angeles Police, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. None of the agencies had any record of Roxanne being reported as a runaway or missing person.
One of the cousins agreed to provide her DNA to CBI to confirm her relationship with Jane Doe. On December 3, 2024, Forensic Genealogy Analyst, Melissa Kraker provided a genetic genealogy report confirming that Jane Doe was in fact Roxanne Leadbeater based on the kinship comparison with the cousin.
“This case highlights the importance of preserving evidence, even for decades-old crimes,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “Advancements in DNA technology have given us a powerful tool to help solve cold cases and bring long overdue answers to the families of victims who were never forgotten.”
Since Roxanne went missing from the Los Angeles, CA area and was found deceased in Weld County under suspicious circumstances, and her cause and manner of death are unknown, the case will remain active, but her identification is a crucial part of the investigation.
“This is our oldest cold case; I am glad Roxanne has finally been identified, and some of her remaining family members have gotten answers about what happened to her. Going forward, I hope to discover what events led to her death, and how she ended up here,” said Detective Kastilahn.
If you have any information about Roxanne Leadbeater, or the details surrounding her death please reach out to Detective Kastilahn at (970) 400-2827 or email him at bkastilahn@weld.gov . You can also call our tip line at (970) 304-6464 or email your tip to crimetips@weld.gov. All individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
