In a major breakthrough, Colorado police have finally identified the killer of Teree Becker, a 20-year-old woman whose body was found dumped in a field nearly 50 years ago. According to the Westminster Police Department, Becker was last seen on December 4, 1975, hitchhiking to visit her boyfriend at the Adams County Jail in Brighton, Colorado. Two days later, a couple stumbled upon her body and personal items in a field. An autopsy later revealed that she had been raped and died from asphyxiation.

Over the years, Becker's case was reviewed multiple times, but no breakthroughs were made until advancements in forensic science. In 2003, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation managed to extract the DNA of an unknown male from a piece of evidence related to Becker's rape. However, no match was found in the DNA database at the time. It wasn't until 2013, when the Las Vegas Metro Police Department submitted a DNA profile from a cold case involving a raped and murdered woman, that a match was discovered. The same man was responsible for both Becker's murder and the Las Vegas case, but no suspect was identified.

Finally, in 2018, after five years of utilizing genetic genealogy, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, in collaboration with a genetic DNA lab and a genealogist company, identified a suspect. The DNA profile created in Colorado matched that of Thomas Martin Elliott. In October, the Las Vegas police obtained consent to exhume Elliott's body, and a Westminster police detective witnessed the exhumation. Analysis of the bones confirmed that Elliott was the unknown male who had killed both Becker and the woman in Las Vegas. Elliott had a history of criminal offenses, including burglary and a crime against a child. He died by suicide in 1991, shortly after the Las Vegas homicide.

Westminster police expressed hope that finally identifying Becker's killer would bring closure to her family and friends. Becker, who grew up in Wyoming and moved to the Denver metro area after high school, was described by her family as a "free spirit" who could strike up a conversation with anyone. The Westminster Police Department stated that there are still nine remaining cold cases in the area that will continue to be investigated.