Reader: 1,523 unsolved murders since 1970 put all Coloradans at risk

To mark the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, we assembled a post focusing on ten unsolved Colorado murders, including the story of Mary Vialpandro, seen here. Among those we heard from afterward was Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons vice president Howard Morton, who puts these crimes into perspective.

attaboy_howard writes:

Since 1970, Colorado has experienced 1,523 unsolved murders. Many of those killers are still at large, though some would have you believe most are locked up for some other crime.

These cold cases and their killers pose a threat to the safety of all Coloradoans. If your readers think that doesn’t include them, just talk to some of the 1,100 family members and friends of these victims that we have brought into membership in our grassroots organization.

There is a law on the books that creates a Cold Case Team (CRS 24-33.5-425) in the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The intent was to help local law enforcement solve some of these cases. But the legislature has never provided funding for more than one crime analyst to bring such a team into existence.

Your readers can do something about this. They can contact their legislators and demand funding for a state-level cold case team.

Howard Morton, Vice-President, Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, Inc.

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.