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The upcoming episode of Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up will shed light on the 1987 murder of Darlene Krashoc, a 20-year-old Fort Carson soldier who was beaten, assaulted, and strangled to death behind a Korean restaurant about 6 miles from the base in Colorado Springs. The manner of her death sent waves through the town back in the time.
Trigger Warning: Graphic details of violence ahead.
Despite the tremendous effort from authorities, they could not track down or narrow down a subject for decades until advancements in DNA testing and genealogy finally led authorities to Michael Whyte, a U.S. army veteran stationed around the crime scene. The case is replete with chilling details that would fascinate even veteran true-crime fanatics.
Read on for a compilation of five such details from this long-drawn and complicated case of Darlene Krashoc's murder.
Five quick facts about Darlene Krashoc's murder
1) The manner of Darlene Krashoc's death shocked authorities
Darlene's body was found behind a Korean Club by two patrolling officers. She was brutally beaten, mutilated, and strangled. She was naked from ankles up, and a black leather strap was knotted around her neck. Additionally, a wired clothes hanger was wrapped around her mouth.
Her body was wholly mutilated, with reports stating that her breasts had been bitten off. She was also assaulted in a manner where her insides suffered blunt force trauma.
2) The case was reopened multiple times before authorities had a breakthrough
Though authorities could not pinpoint a subject at the time of the crime, they revisited the case twice in 2001 and 2004. With advancements in DNA technology, authorities could develop a partial DNA profile. But with no match in the national database, it took years and more technological progress before they could land a solid lead.
3) In 2016, investigators drew up a composite sketch using the DNA samples of the perpetrator
Authorities had nothing on their hands besides saliva and semen samples collected from the scene. In 2016, authorities used phenotyping to draw up a composite sketch of the suspect using DNA profiling. This was an approximate sketch of how the subject might have looked back then and how they might look now.
4) A pair of popular ancestry sites were instrumental in tracking down the killer
Two ancestry sites, 23 and Me and Ancestry.com, were instrumental in cracking the case. Investigators used these sites to track down people with similar DNA in Wisconsin and Texas. With their help, they located a certain Michael Whyte, who lived only 3 miles away from the crime scene. This was the lead that led to the resolution of the case.
5) Before the authorities singled him out, Michael Whyte lived a seemingly normal life
Michael Whyte lived a normal life with no criminal history or signs of deviance. He enlisted in the army in 1979 and spent 19 years in the Army before retiring as a sergeant first class in 1998. He lived only three miles from where Darlene Krashoc's body was found. It took 32 years to reach Michael Whyte.
He was sentenced to life for the murder of Darlene Krashoc.
