The cold case murder of an 18-year-old Utah woman was recently solved after police identified her alleged killer through DNA and other evidence, police annouced exactly 40 years after her death.
The body of Christine Gallegos was found in a field in Salt Lake City on May 16, 1985. She had been beaten, sexually assaulted, stabbed and fatally shot, and police said it was clear that she struggled with her attacker.
Salt Lake City police said Thursday that the man responsible was a 27-year-old airman who died in 2023.
Despite “exhaustive efforts and multiple rounds of forensic testing over the years,” no viable leads emerged after Gallegos was murdered, and her death remained a mystery for 40 years, police said.
“These cold case homicides are difficult and challenging – any homicide investigation is – but when any number of years pass, like on this one, it becomes even more challenging,” Police Chief Brian Redd said during a news conference Thursday.
In 2023, the case was re-examined and previously unidentified DNA samples were sent to Othram Labs in Texas. The company specializes in cold cases and uses genealogy. The effort was funded by a grant from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative organization, officials said.
The testing results led investigators to identify Ricky Lee Stallworth as the likely suspect in the case. A family member’s DNA confirmed the match, police said.
Stallworth was a 27-year-old airman stationed at Hill Air Force Base at the time of Gallegos’s death. He was never identified as a potential suspect, so he was never interviewed during the investigation, police said.
Their relationship, if any, remains unclear and “remains one of the most significant unanswered questions in this case,” police said.
Stallworth, who lived in Layton, Utah, died of natural causes in July 2023.
“We weren’t able to arrest a suspect, but hopefully we achieved some measure of justice for her and the family and friends that loved her,” Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent Steve O’Camb said.
At Thursday’s news conference, Gallegos’ mother, Leah, thanked police for continuing to investigate her daughter’s murder even when the trail ran cold.
“I didn’t know I was going to speak — I just know that I sure miss this girl every day,” she said, standing beside her adult son. “I wonder about the kids that she would have, and I watch other people with their daughters, their grandkids.”
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