Who killed Anthony Mackey? In the summer of 1991, an elderly man named Anthony E. Mackey passed away in his Larimer County home, an event that initially appeared to be a sad but unremarkable consequence of his declining health. At 84 years of age, Mackey had been in a fragile state for approximately five months following a fall that resulted in significant blunt trauma to his central nervous system.
In the wake of the accident, his health had entered a steady decline, leading to a downhill neurological course that rendered him completely helpless. He became bedridden, suffering from paralysis, aphasia, and the loss of bladder and bowel control. His niece, Darlene Goddard, and her college-aged son, Kristopher Koetteng, were providing care for him in his residence.
While there were no immediate signs of foul play surrounding Mackey's death on August 12, 1991, a decision was made to perform an autopsy to fully document the trauma related to his earlier fall. It was during this post-mortem examination that a grim and unexpected discovery was made. The medical examiner found a fractured hyoid bone and fresh bruising to the neck muscles, clear and undeniable indicators of recent manual strangulation. This finding transformed the case from a death by natural causes into a homicide investigation.
Despite the autopsy's conclusive evidence of a violent end to Anthony Mackey's life, the investigation into who was responsible has remained unresolved for decades. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office has listed his death as an open and unsolved homicide case. To date, no arrests have been made, and no specific suspects have been publicly identified in connection with his murder. The story of Anthony E. Mackey is one of a quiet death that concealed a violent secret, a secret that has yet to be brought fully into the light.
