Critical missteps in an investigation into an apparent murder-suicide in Garfield County has exposed a major backlog within Colorado's largest crime lab
DENVER — Critical missteps in an investigation into an apparent murder-suicide in Garfield County has exposed a major backlog within Colorado's largest crime lab.
“I think we got here with probably not growing as fast as we should. And at the same time, we have more pieces of evidence that are coming in,” Schaefer said.Denver7 Investigates discovered there is roughly a year delay to process firearm ballistic evidence. Fingerprint and DNA testing also have significant backlogs, leaving victims like Julie and Ali in the dark.They couldn't grieve because they didn’t have answers. And Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario said this was out of his control.
To manage the backlog, Schaefer said cases are processed based on need. That means cases with an unknown killer or with an upcoming court case are given higher priority. “If we would have known or had any indications that this was anything other than what it was first labeled — as a murder-suicide — then we would have moved it up quick,” he said.
Murder on County Road 243: Family questions investigation in Garfield County Retired Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the backlog is a result of an agency that is overworked and overburdened.“There was a period of time in Colorado where we would send a sexual assault investigation kit in and we would wait 18 months,” Spurlock said.
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