The body of a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who had been missing for 30 years, has finally been identified in Colorado. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office utilized genetic testing and a titanium rod found in his leg to confirm the identity of Jerry A. Mikkelson. This breakthrough comes as deputies have long been working to solve the mystery surrounding this suspected homicide victim.
Law enforcement believes that Mikkelson was killed in Wyoming before his body was dumped off a forest service road in Colorado back in October 1987. The recent identification sheds light on a case that has remained unsolved for decades.
Jerry Mikkelson, a resident of South Dakota, left Sioux Falls after graduating from high school in 1981. It was not until later that a relative reported him missing. However, due to Mikkelson’s age at the time (around 24 years old), the authorities did not initially suspect foul play and chose not to investigate further.
Sioux Falls police spokesperson Sam Clemens explained, “The officer informed the relative that since Jerry was an adult, there was nothing the police could do. No police report was made, just the information that the relative left. At that point, there was no indication that anything was wrong or that any criminal activity had occurred, so there was no police investigation.”
The discovery of Mikkelson’s body in Colorado raises numerous questions about what might have happened to him and why he ended up in a different state. Colorado deputies have not yet disclosed the cause of Mikkelson’s death, leaving investigators with a challenging task ahead.
As the investigation progresses, authorities will be focusing on piecing together the events leading up to Mikkelson’s demise. The identification of his body after three decades provides hope that justice may finally be served for Jerry Mikkelson and his loved ones.
