On September 15, a jury in nearby Park County provided a definitive answer to this question, convicting Alan Lee Phillips, 71, of first-degree murder in the killings four decades after they took place.
The details of the deaths, as documented by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, are chillingly similar. The body of Schnee wasn't discovered until July 1982, but she disappeared on January 6 — the same day Oberholtzer was last seen. Oberholtzer's body was found the next day, January 7, on the summit of Hoosier Pass, near Breckenridge. Likewise, Schnee's remains were finally spotted in a similarly remote location south of town.
Both had been hitchhiking. Both were shot to death.
Here's the CBI's account about Oberholtzer:
Bobbie Jo's last known stop in Breckenridge, Colorado was at approximately 7:50 PM on Wednesday, January 6, 1982, leaving the Village Pub. Bobbie worked in an office in the same building and was celebrating a promotion. She was then seen alone near the Minit Mart, about 100 yards from the Pub entrance, hitchhiking southbound out of town.Information about the Annette Schnee investigation was shared in 2015 on the website, which is now offline. Here's an excerpt:
Bobbie's body was found at approximately 3:00 PM the following day, Thursday, January 7, 1982 near the summit of Hoosier Pass, approximately 10 miles south of Breckenridge. Bobbie was found face up 300 feet south of the parking lot at the top of the pass and 20 feet off the southbound lane of Highway 9, down a snow embankment. The pass was covered in deep snow which had been plowed along the sides of Highway 9. It was a very cold night, about 20 below, and it may have been snowing.
Death resulted from a gunshot wound to the chest, with a second grazing wound to the right breast, and the shooting appeared to have occurred at the location where the body was found. Evidence indicated that Bobbie was shot at close range of 1 to 2 feet.
Evidence at the scene indicated that Bobbie may have gotten out of the suspect's vehicle at the top of the pass. Her key ring, with a metal hook defensive weapon made for her by her husband, was found in the parking lot at the summit. Bobbie may have run downhill along the road approximately 300 feet and was possibly again confronted by the assailant(s). She then seems to have gone over the snow embankment toward a stand of trees, stopping short of the trees, and retracing her tracks a short distance. She fell onto her back and slid down the snow a short distance before coming to rest where she died.
The weapon used was a .38/.357 handgun using a Remington/Peters copper jacketed hollow point bullet. The weapon has NOT been recovered.
A pair of 18" plastic tie-wraps were found on one wrist, suggesting that someone had attempted to bind Bobbie Jo.
Also on January 7, items from her backpack/purse were located approximately 20 miles from the crime scene along the south/east side of US Highway 285 north and east of Fairplay toward Denver. Three significant items were recovered together approximately 30 feet off the highway lying on top of the snow in an open field. These 3 items consisted of the victim's backpack and some of its contents, her bloodstained wool glove, and a bloodstained tissue.
Wallet contents were scattered along the same side of US 285 with the driver's license found north of the backpack at the Hamilton ranch.
DNA testing has concluded that the source of the blood on both the glove and the tissue is from the same unknown male donor.
Annette's last known stop in Breckenridge, Colorado was at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, January 6, 1982, leaving a pharmacy called The Drug Store where she had filled a prescription. She was seen talking with an unidentified woman, and was heard reminding the woman to buy cigarettes. The unknown woman was described by witnesses as a white female, approximately 5' 4" tall, slender build, and looked as though she had been camping out for a few days. The woman smoked Marlboro cigarettes. The prescription was Annette's only purchase at that store. Annette was scheduled to be at work at 8:00 PM that night at the Flip Side bar back in Breckenridge. Her uniform was at her home and was never picked up. She was described as very reliable and it's thought she may have been headed home to get ready for work when she disappeared.The 2015 push for answers was unsuccessful, and the cases faded from the headlines again. But in March 2021, Park County officials announced the arrest of Phillips, a resident of Dumont, for the crimes.
Annette's body was found 6 months later, on July 3, 1982, face down in Sacramento Creek, approximately 20 miles south of Breckenridge and 10 miles south of the Hoosier Pass summit. Annette's home was approximately 4 miles north of the summit. The location where the body was found was remote - about 3 miles west of Colorado Highway 9.
Sacramento Creek is a very isolated mountain valley area. The temperatures were very cold, approximately 20 below, and it may have been snowing in the area on the night Annette disappeared. The cold air and water helped preserve the body.
The fatal gunshot wound to the back was a through and through, with no bullet left in the body. The bullet has not been found. It is unknown whether other shots were fired and missed. The weapon used was possibly a .38/.357/9mm handgun.
Annette's body was fully clothed, but the clothing was in disarray.
Annette was found with both shoes on, but wearing one orange bootie sock on her left foot and one long striped sock on her right foot. The second long striped sock was found in the pocket of her blue hooded sweatshirt. The second orange bootie had been found, but unidentified, 6 months earlier, at the Oberholtzer crime scene near the summit of Hoosier Pass.
Items from Annette's backpack were located between Breckenridge, where both victims were last seen, and the Oberholtzer crime scene at the top of Hoosier Pass.
The breakthrough was credited to a partnership between Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and United Data Connect, a Denver-based business operated by former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey that uses DNA technology to solve cold cases. Genetic-genealogy techniques used on material from the scenes ultimately established a link to Phillips, who'd been arrested without incident in Clear Creek County on February 24, 2021. He was charged with two counts apiece of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault and first-degree homicide.
In a statement released after the conviction, Park County Sheriff Tom McGrath says: "I am honored to make this important announcement after nearly forty years have passed since these murders took place. This arrest is the culmination of technology, extraordinary police work, and an unwavering commitment to justice for Bobbie Jo, Annette and their families."
Phillips, a semi-retired mechanic, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7. His likeliest punishment: life in prison.
