COLORADO 1980 Cold Case Solved After 40 Years — A Beer Mug Finally Led Police to Her Killer

In January 1980, 21-year-old Helene Pruszynski was living in Colorado while completing a radio station internship. One day, while walking home from a bus stop, she was abducted. Her body was discovered the following day in a field in Douglas County, and the investigation would remain unsolved for nearly four decades.

Investigators preserved crucial DNA evidence from the crime scene, but early searches produced no match. Decades later, advances in forensic genetic genealogy gave detectives a new path forward. Investigators used genealogy databases and family-tree research to narrow their search to a man named James Curtis Clanton, who had previously used the name Curtis Allen White.

But detectives still needed a direct DNA comparison.

While monitoring Clanton in Florida, investigators obtained a beer mug he had been drinking from at a bar. DNA recovered from the mug matched the DNA preserved from the 1980 crime scene, providing the crucial link investigators had been searching for.

Clanton was arrested in December 2019 and later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, with the case becoming a notable example of how preserved evidence, genetic genealogy, traditional detective work, and modern DNA testing can work together to solve decades-old cold cases.

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Sources
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How genetic genealogy has solved 5 Colorado cold cases — 9News: https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/c...

Man arrested in intern's 1980 cold case rape, murder thanks to DNA match — ABC News: https://abcnews.com/US/man-arrested-intern...

Suspect arrested in 1980 Colorado cold case murder using genetic genealogy — NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/...

Florida trucker arrested in Colorado cold case murder of woman, 21, nearly 40 years ago — Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-trucker...

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James Curtis Clanton Admits To Helene Pruszynski Cold Case Murder — Oxygen: https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/james-cu...

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Helene Pruszynski (1958-1980) Memorial — Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/232001...

From a murder that remained unsolved for almost 40 years to a single beer mug that finally provided the DNA link, this is the story of how Helene Pruszynski's cold case was finally brought to an end.

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