Utah cold case solved 40 years after 18-year-old woman’s murder thanks to DNA sample, police say

A man who murdered an 18-year-old woman in Utah four decades ago has finally been identified, authorities said Thursday.

Christine Gallegos was found dead on May 16, 1985, along Jefferson Street in Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake City Police Department said. She had been beaten, stabbed, sexually assaulted and shot to death near an area known then as Dirk’s Field.

Detectives were unable to find any leads despite years of investigative efforts and multiple rounds of forensic testing. The case went cold and remained so until 2023, when advances in DNA and genealogical testing connected the case to a man named Ricky Lee Stallworth…

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