21 Solved in '21 : Day 15 : Sylvia Quayle
21 Solved in ‘21 : Day 15 : Sylvia Quayle
35-year-old Sylvia Quayle was found dead in her Cherry Hills Village, CO home by her father on the morning of August 4, 1981. She’d last spoken to her younger sister on the phone around 11p the night prior. Her death had been excruciating. 140 pieces of evidence were collected from the scene. An investigation determined that the phone line to her S Ogden St home had been cut. There was a pry mark on the bottom of the bathroom window’s wooden frame, and the screen had been removed and abandoned in some tall weeds about 75 ft from her home.
In 2000, a male DNA profile was developed from evidence discovered on a rug from the scene. This DNA profile was then sent to CODIS, where it sat until 2020. In May of 2020 the samples from the crime scene were uploaded into 2 public DNA databases. Using Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch, authorities were finally able to name their suspect on January 29, 2021, after they took a can of Vanilla Coke that the suspect had discarded. On February 10, the suspect was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. One alleges Sylvia was murdered after deliberation, and the other alleges that she was killed in the commission of another felony.
Sylvia Quayle left behind a sister and her parents. She had a great relationship with all 3, and enjoyed coffee with her parents every morning. She worked as a secretary at an architectural firm, and also ran her own business that specialized in wedding cakes. Sylvia has been described as “ambitious, vibrant, [and] friendly.” The quote, “beauty seen is never lost,” was etched onto her gravestone. Her parents died before learning what truly happened to their daughter.
https://www.denverpost.com/2021/02/25/david-anderson-arrested-sylvia-quayle-murder-cold-case/
https://townsquarenoco.com/arrest-made-in-1981-cold-case-involving-murder-of-colorado-woman/