In the early morning hours of a summer day, the discovery of a man lying on a bike path would mark the beginning of a decades-long mystery. On Sunday, June 29, 1980, 27-year-old Donald Willis was found near 19th Street and Platte River Drive in Denver. He was suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency services were called to the scene, and Willis was transported to a hospital for medical attention.
Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Donald Willis, a white male, succumbed to his
injury on July 9, 1980. Investigators determined that his death was a homicide. At the time of the incident, Willis was described as a transient, although he had for a short period resided at the Raylene Apartments. The circumstances leading up to the shooting and a motive for the attack have remained elusive.
The case of Donald Willis's death has since gone cold. Law enforcement officials have not made any arrests in connection with the homicide, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The investigation remains open, with authorities appealing to the public for any information that might shed light on the events that transpired on that June morning and bring closure to a case that has remained unsolved for over four decades.
