Man linked to Colorado cold case arrested in Arizona

Law enforcement authorities in Tombstone, Arizona, have arrested and jailed a former Colorado resident, Keith Carl Jones, on sex-related charges, 30 years after he was connected to the unsolved disappearance of a Castle Rock woman. The arrest of Jones has sparked renewed law enforcement interest in the 1996 disappearance of Stephanie Kay Fladgard, who lived in Castle Rock. 

She was last seen in October 1996, and according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, she failed to show up for work and was never heard from again.

Foul play is suspected in her case, as some of her personal belongings were found dumped in Castle Rock and Parker after her disappearance, according to authorities.

Prior to her disappearance, investigators say Jones had been stalking her for several months and may have been with her.

Taylor Temby, spokesperson for the Castle Rock police department, told CBS Colorado that after Jones was arrested in Arizona, "we traveled down to Cochise County following his arrest. Our case remains open."

Terri Jo Neff, a reporter with the Herald Review newspaper in Cochise County, reported Jones was indicted by a grand jury and arrested after a report was made in December 2025 to law enforcement about Jones, 60, allegedly recording an "illicit video." The newspaper reports Jones was ultimately charged with four felonies, including surreptitious recording or photography, voyeurism, sexual exploitation of a minor, and failing to register in Arizona as a sex offender. The Arizona news reporting says police searched Jones' phones, computer, and cameras and found images of child sexual abuse. Investigators say Jones had moved from Colorado to Arizona in 2018 but failed to register as a sex offender.

Colorado court records show Jones was involved in at least 13 criminal cases when he lived in Colorado.

Among them:

• Douglas County 1997: Records show Jones pleaded guilty to one of the four sex crimes he was charged with and was sentenced to two years in prison.
• Elbert County 2000: Records show Jones pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender.  He was sentenced to one year probation, but the sentence was later revoked and he served 90 days in jail.
• Arapahoe County 2004: Jones was charged with violating a protective order and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to two years probation.

Temby, the Castle Rock police spokesperson, said Jones is a person of interest in the Fladgard disappearance.