In the summer of 1987, the life of 18-year-old Karolyn Walker was tragically cut short in Aurora, Colorado. A recent graduate of St. Mary's Academy in Englewood, she was known for her physical strength, having excelled in gymnastics and swimming. She was a vibrant young white female with her whole life ahead of her. On the night of July 4th, Karolyn had been with her boyfriend and had borrowed his car to leave his residence.
The following day, a grim discovery was made. Karolyn's body was found in a ditch near East Colfax Avenue. An autopsy would later reveal that she had been brutally murdered, the cause of death determined to be strangulation and a blow to the head. The vehicle she had been driving was not found until July 7th, parked at an apartment building. Despite a thorough investigation into her death, no incriminating evidence or witnesses were immediately found, leaving her case unsolved.
Investigators began to see chilling similarities between Karolyn's murder and a string of other killings in the Denver area. Her case was eventually linked to a suspected serial offender often referred to as the 'Denver Prostitute Killer.' This individual was believed to have targeted young women, typically between the ages of 15 and 25. The victims were often beaten and strangled, their bodies left in remote locations. Although a local resident was once considered a person of interest in the series of slayings, no charges were ever filed in connection with Karolyn's death. To this day, the murder of Karolyn Walker remains a cold case, a painful and unresolved chapter in the history of Aurora.
