Remains found in 1999 were never identified. Now Colorado officials have new images

Skeletal remains were found near a Colorado interstate more than two decades ago.

The woman was never identified, but officials are hoping new reconstruction images could change that.

Skeletal remains were found on Aug. 10, 1999, near Walsenburg, Colorado, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a Nov. 17 news release. They were found about 3 1/2 miles west of Interstate 25.

For 22 years, the remains have gone unidentified. Officials suspect foul play was involved in her death.

A forensic artist completed new digital reconstruction images to help identify the remains, the bureau said.

“The woman is described as 5’8 to 5’10 inches tall, weighing approximately 130-145 lbs,” officials said in the release. “She was estimated to be 30-45 years old at the time of her death.”

The woman’s teeth would’ve been a “prominent facial feature,” officials said.

Officials do not know the woman’s race. She may have been white, part American Indian or Hispanic, according to the bureau. Her dark brown or black hair may have been in dreadlocks when she died.

The remains were found along with a red men’s long underwear with a Winston cigarette logo, a red t-shirt, blue jeans, red socks and brown leather sandals.

“If you have any information on the identity of the woman or the circumstances surrounding her death, please contact the CBI at 719-647-5990,” officials said.

Walsenburg is about 160 miles south of Denver.

This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 8:07 AM with the headline "Remains found in 1999 were never identified. Now Colorado officials have new images."