Police confirmed that a set of bones found in the Mount Shavano area in 1992 belong to a Salida woman who went missing in 1980.
Beverly England, 32, was reported missing by her husband after she failed to return home in June 1980, according to a Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office news release.
England was listed as a missing person but was never found and investigators ran out of leads.
Through advanced DNA technology, law enforcement was able to determine last month that bones found in 1992 matched England’s DNA.
Salida Police Department and the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office have reopened the investigation, and the site near the bones is now being excavated for evidence.
“Through this investigation, several key items of evidence have been recovered which led investigators to believe that Beverly England died as the victim of foul play,” the release said.
A task force has been formed to investigate the suspicious death, police said.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or
