Forensic DNA analysis has enabled law enforcement to solve a cold case homicide that had remained unsolved for decades in Nevada, according to police reports.
Vicki Radig, who was 20 years old, was reported missing by her family in March 1981, as stated in a news release from the Henderson Police Department. Radig was last seen with her boyfriend, Walter Bradley DeMint, who claimed they had an argument and that she had left on her own, according to police.
Her body was discovered two days later in a desert area near Boulder Highway. Authorities classified her death as a homicide, determining that she had suffered from both blunt and sharp force trauma.
DeMint was regarded as a person of interest during the investigation, with inconsistencies in his statements, but there was insufficient evidence to file charges against him, the police department noted. DeMint passed away in 2007, and it remains unclear if any other suspects were identified.
In 2021, DNA evidence collected from Radig during the original investigation was sent for forensic testing, which revealed that DeMint's DNA was present.
Further evidence samples were tested in 2022 and 2023, confirming additional DNA from both DeMint and Radig. The new DNA findings were presented to the Clark County District Attorney's Office, which agreed with the Henderson Police Department that "Walter Bradley DeMint is the only viable suspect identified in this case."
Had DeMint been alive, he could have faced murder charges based on the forensic evidence, according to the Henderson Police Department.
The police have informed Radig's surviving family members about the case's developments and continue to provide them with support.