Teree Becker’s death has remained a mystery for almost five decades.
Becker was last seen on Dec. 4, 1975, hitchhiking to see her boyfriend, who lived in Brighton, Colorado. An innocent trip ended in her body being found dumped in a field outside Denver two days later.
An autopsy determined she had been sexually assaulted and died by asphyxiation.
Now, almost 50 years later, the mystery of her killer has been solved thanks to DNA technology and genetic genealogy.
Thomas Martin Elliot, who authorities know as a career criminal, died by suicide in October 1991 at age 40, is responsible for her sexual assault and murder, but getting a DNA match wasn’t easy.
His DNA was extracted in 2003 from a piece of evidence in Becker’s case in connection with the sexual assault, and an unknown male profile was generated. While there was no match at the time, a decade later in 2013, a match came forward in an unknown male DNA profile in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas police connected his DNA with a 1991 cold case involving a female who, just like Becker, had been sexually assaulted and murdered. But LVPD’s victim was found in her apartment.
According to a Westminster PD press release, “investigators turned to genetic genealogy in 2018 — a process that uses DNA to create a family tree and find potential relatives.” In order to be sure, Las Vegas police got permission to exhume Elliott’s body.
Using DNA from Elliot’s bones, a positive match was made in December 2023, connecting Elliott to both the Westminster and Las Vegas homicides, says the press release.
Elliott’s crimes didn’t start and end with the murders, according to the PR, his path (that can be accounted for) was the following:
- He committed a burglary in Lakewood.
- He murdered Becker in 1975.
- He was charged with burglary in Lakewood and served 6 years in prison.
- He was released from a Las Vegas prison in 1981 and committed a crime shortly after against a child. Served a 10-year sentence.
- In 1991, he murdered his female victim in Las Vegas.
“We are thrilled we were able to solve this cold case and hopefully bring closure to the friends and family of Teree Becker,” Westminster police said
