1981 cold case homicide closed thanks to DNA evidence, Nevada police say
Forensic DNA testing has allowed detectives to close a decades-old cold case homicide in Nevada, police said.
Vicki Radig, 20, was reported missing by her family in March 1981, the Henderson Police Department said Monday in a news release. Radig had reportedly gone out with her boyfriend at the time, Walter Bradley DeMint, and had not been seen since, the department said. DeMint said the pair had argued and that Radig had run off, police said.
Two days later, Radig's body was found in a desert area along Boulder Highway. Police ruled her death a homicide and determined she had died from blunt and sharp force trauma.
DeMint was "considered a person of interest" throughout the investigation, the Henderson Police Department said. His account of events was inconsistent, but investigators did not have enough evidence to press charges, the department said. DeMint passed away in 2007. The police department did not say if other suspects were ever identified.
In 2021, DNA found on swabs taken from Radig during the initial investigation was submitted for forensic testing. The tests found that DeMint had contributed DNA, police said.
In 2022 and 2023, other evidence samples were submitted for forensic testing. The second round of testing found more of DeMint and Radig's DNA. Police submitted the new DNA information to the Clark County District Attorney's Office, which concurred with the Henderson Police Department that "Walter Bradley DeMint is the only viable suspect identified in this case."
If DeMint were still alive, he could have been charged with murder based on the forensic evidence, the Henderson Police Department said.
Police said Radig's surviving family members have been notified of the developments in the case and continue "to be supported" by the department.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Henderson Police Department's Cold Case Homicide Unit at 702-267-4911 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
