Police found the remains of a Colorado woman who had been missing for just over four years.
Authorities confirmed via genetic testing that human remains found in a trash bag inside a manhole at 82-year-old Sylvia Frens's last residence were, in fact, hers. Frens was previously reported missing by concerned family members in 2018. An autopsy revealed that her cause of death was blunt force trauma and ruled her death a homicide.
Frens's son, Richard Vandervelde, 54, was subsequently arrested on first-degree murder charges, as well as charges of tampering with a deceased human body, crimes against an at-risk adult, fraud-identity theft, theft, motor vehicle theft, and abuse of a corpse. He was in Florida at the time of his arrest. Sylvia Frens went missing in 2018. For nearly 4 years, detectives worked diligently on solving her case. In March, Sylvia's remains were found on the property in which she last resided.
A phone found with Vandervelde revealed Feb. 2018 searches for “map of desolate places in Colorado” and “least traveled areas near grand junction co.
It wasn't until March 2022 that police were able to get permission from the new occupants of Frens's former residence, which she shared with her son. Vandervelde is now at the Mesa County Detention Facility, awaiting arraignment on a $1 million cash-only bond. His next court date is Jun. 21.
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