It was a matter of 40 years. Salt Lake City police announced Thursday, May 15, after having clarified a cold case whose mystery had remained complete to date. On May 16, 1985, Christine Gallegos, an 18 -year -old woman, was found dead in a field after trying to do Caketop to go to work.
The young woman had been violently beaten, stabbed and received two bullets on her head. At that time, the first tracking clues suggested that the Insvidu who took it by car was involved in the murder. But without realizing the DNA, the police were white.
It was not until 2023 that technological progress has allowed researchers to identify the DNA found in the victim’s body. The results of the analyzes revealed that the DNA belonged to a certain Ricky Lee Stallworth, an aviator of the American Air Force.
At the time of Christine Gallegos’ murder, the man was 27 years old. He parked at the Hill air base in Layton, Utah, north of Salt Lake City.
DNA correspondence
To establish direct links between the DNA found in Christine Gallegos’ body and the suspect, the researchers were forced to ask Ricky Lee Stall’s children, his father died of natural causes in 2023.
Ultimately, it was his DNA samples that allowed researchers to confirm that Ricky Lee Stallworth had attacked well and then killed Christine Gallegos. “I would have liked to be able to ask it before I die,” said Inspector Cordon Parks, in charge of the investigation at that time, during a press conference this Thursday.
“Today we can say with certainty that he is responsible for the death of Christine Gallegos,” he added.
According to his relatives, it was known that Ricky Lee Stallworth disappeared during the night and reappeared “without giving any explanation.” In the last two years of his life, he significantly frequented the world of prostitution. One of his former women “did not seem surprised to have gathered his DNA” as part of a murder investigation, said former inspector Cordon Parks.
A “sweet” and “cheerful” girl
Present at the press conference given to the media, Christine Gallegos’ parents described their daughter as a “sweet” and “cheerful” person. “She was very much in love with her fiance, Troy. They had planned to start a family,” said his mother Leah Gallegos.
“I miss my daughter every day. I wonder about the children I would have had (…) They took me a lot when they took her,” he said.
At the end of his speech, Salt Lake City police chief Brian Redd praised the “determination” of researchers and the progress of medical technology that made it possible to resolve the case.
“I want to reaffirm our commitment to solve unresolved cases,” he concluded during the information meeting.
Source: BFM TV
