How was the cold case of Brianna Denison solved?
New York (CNN) — The photographs are haunting: a toddler with huge, saucer eyes; a teenager smiling shyly; a middle-aged couple; a freckle-faced Little Leaguer. A year ago, the Cold Case feature was launched to bring a fresh look at unsolved cases that Nancy Grace had covered. The aim was to pull these cases from their vaults, dust them off and refocus attention on them, reminding the public that police and families need help seeking justice and closure. Through the year, the definition of a cold case evolved beyond high-profile ones such as Natalee Holloway and JonBenet Ramsey. A cold case involved anyone who vanished without a trace or was murdered, any time the police and family were left without an arrest or explanation. Cold cases tell the stories of lives interrupted. Although all of the nearly 50 cases featured over the past year have been special in some way and worthy of attention, a few stand out in hindsight. Brianna Denison was the cold case that resulted in an arrest. Med
Reno Police say the man who strangled 19 year-old Brianna Denison to death is probably still in Reno. They say he’s also a serial rapist. They are hoping that the public will be able to help locate the suspect. They describe the suspect as white man with light brown/dirty blonde hair. He is 5’8” to 5′ 10” with a slender to medium build. The victim said the suspect was wearing a dark hooded pull over sweat shirt with no zippers or markings, athletic type nylon silver sweat pants with black stripes, and white tennis shoes. Police are also looking for an extended cab pick-up truck or SUV with an interior dome light above the windshield. The vehicle is tall enough that it requires a step up to gain entry, but that step is not an added “aftermarket” step. There is a floor-mounted console described as “fairly skinny” that opens in front, and the radio has blue and red LED read-out. The vehicle also has cloth seats and an automatic transmission. There was a baby shoe on the front seat floor
Although all of the nearly 50 cases featured over the past year have been special in some way and worthy of attention, a few stand out in hindsight. Brianna Denison was the cold case that resulted in an arrest. Media coverage in September 2008 brought in the tip that led to a suspect. Denison, 19, was visiting friends at the University of Nevada, Reno, and had crashed on the living room couch of an off-campus apartment. While she slept, someone crept into the apartment and abducted her. She was sexually assaulted and brutally strangled, and her body found weeks later in a snow-covered field a few miles away. A month after her story was featured as a cold case, triggering a series of local stories, police in Reno, Nevada, made an arrest. “Media coverage is absolutely essential for us,” said Detective Adam Wygnanski, one of the lead investigators working the case for the Reno Police Department. “We finally got the break in the case we were looking for.” Sources:
