In the summer of 2016, John Charles Cizek, a 71-year-old retiree from California, traveled to Alamosa, Colorado, with plans for gold mining. He was last seen on video eating lunch at a McDonald's on June 12, 2016. This would be the last confirmed sighting of him alive. Surveillance footage later showed Cizek entering his brand new Winnebago RV, and just minutes later, another man, David Little, is seen entering the vehicle before it drives away.
Investigators believe Cizek was an innocent and random victim, targeted for his RV. In the days that followed, Cizek was never heard from again, but his credit cards were used numerous times in several Colorado cities, accumulating over $3,500 in charges.
The investigation into Cizek's disappearance took a significant turn on June 21, 2016. On that day, police in Edgewater were attempting to arrest 40-year-old David Little on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault of a child. Little opened fire on the officers, and after a shootout, he was injured and taken into custody. Upon his arrest, authorities found Cizek's identification and credit cards in Little's possession. Little then informed the police about the location of Cizek's RV, where they found his dog inside. A search of the RV revealed grim evidence of foul play, including a significant amount of Cizek's blood, a bullet hole, and signs that a crime scene had been cleaned. Based on this evidence, and journal entries found in Little's Jeep detailing his homicidal thoughts and plans to steal an RV, prosecutors took the uncommon step of charging Little with Cizek's murder, even without a body.
For years, the case remained a homicide investigation with a missing victim. David Little, the man charged with Cizek's murder, died by suicide in the Jefferson County Jail in October 2016, before a trial could take place. The search for John Cizek continued, with his family's hopes for answers dwindling as time passed. A breakthrough finally came in May 2024, when a fisherman discovered male skeletal remains in a shallow, frozen grave near a campground in Park County. Through the use of forensic genetic genealogy, investigators were able to determine the remains were of Czechoslovakian ancestry, which was consistent with Cizek's heritage. In March 2026, a definitive CODIS match confirmed the remains were those of John Cizek. An autopsy revealed he had died from a gunshot wound to the skull. The discovery, though heartbreaking, finally brought a degree of closure to his family, confirming his fate after a decade of uncertainty.Last Seen: Jun 12, 2016
