Chelsea King disappearance: Suspect and sex offender John Albert Gardner identified as man who attacked Colorado Springs student

The search is on for seventeen-year-old Chelsea King, who disappeared while jogging in the San Diego area last week. Yet there's a disturbing Colorado connection to the case. In December, Candice Moncayo, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who'd headed back to her California home...

By Michael Roberts

March 2, 2010

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The search is on for seventeen-year-old Chelsea King, who disappeared while jogging in the San Diego area last week. Yet there's a disturbing Colorado connection to the case.

In December, Candice Moncayo, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who'd headed back to her California home for the holidays, went jogging in the same park where King was last seen. There, she was attacked by a man she later identified as John Albert Gardner, a sex offender who's been arrested in the King disappearance. Luckily, Moncayo was able to escape. As for King, a pair of her underwear has been found by a lake, and local police say the garment is marked by Gardner's DNA.

The latest on the story is at our sister blog, TrueCrimeReport.com. To read it, click here.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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