Cold Case Solved, 1987 Murder of Rhonda Fisher Identified

Investigators with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced on December 2 that they have solved the 1987 homicide of 30 year old Rhonda Marie Fisher. Fisher disappeared in March 1987 and her body was found on April 1, 1987 along S. Perry Park Road south of Sedalia. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. A systematic cold case review undertaken earlier this year produced new forensic leads that yielded a DNA match linking the crime to a convicted killer who died in custody in 1996.

The breakthrough came after detectives located two paper bags that had been placed over Fisher’s hands at the original scene. Modern forensic testing recovered trace skin cell DNA from the inside of those bags. A CODIS comparison produced a match to DNA linked to Vincent Darrell Groves. The sheriff’s office described Groves as one of Colorado’s most prolific serial killers and said he had previously been linked to other murders in the Denver metro area.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office credited preserved evidence, forensic laboratory work and genetic genealogy techniques for enabling the identification. Investigators said the development is an important step toward closure for Fisher’s loved ones. The office released a media statement that includes background on the investigation, statements from Sheriff Darren Weekly and forensic staff, and links to the press conference video posted by the office.

For Douglas County residents, the resolution highlights both the enduring impact of violent crime and the value of careful evidence preservation. Cold cases that once seemed unsolvable can be revisited as technology and investigative methods advance, a reality that affects public expectations about law enforcement accountability and victim family rights. The identification also raises questions about how interjurisdictional databases and genetic genealogy are changing the pace of investigations across the nation.

Local community leaders and neighbors of Sedalia will likely contend with renewed attention to a case that has remained part of the county’s collective memory for nearly four decades. For now the sheriff’s office says the identification provides a measure of closure, and that investigators will continue reviewing unsolved cases with the same forensic resources.