DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO – A haunting mystery that plagued a Colorado community for nearly four decades has finally been solved. Authorities announced on Tuesday that the 1987 murder of a young mother has been definitively linked to Vincent Groves, a man officials call one of the state’s "most prolific serial killers."
"Exceptionally Rare" Evidence
The case involves the death of 30-year-old Rhonda Marie Fisher, whose body was found ditched on the side of a road in Sedalia on April 1, 1987. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. For years, Groves was a suspect, but antiquated technology prevented a definitive link.
The breakthrough came thanks to the foresight of original investigators. Sheriff Darren Weekly explained that detectives in 1987 placed paper bags over Fisher's hands to preserve evidence. Decades later, forensic experts were able to extract "exceptionally rare" skin cells from those bags, which matched Groves’ DNA profile on file.
Released to Kill Again
The timeline of the murder reveals a tragic failure of the justice system. Groves had been convicted of second-degree murder in 1982 but served a slim five-year sentence. He was released from prison in 1987—the very same year he murdered Fisher.
Groves was a former high school athlete who turned to human trafficking and violence. He targeted vulnerable women, often hitchhikers, and was later imprisoned again for murders committed in 1988. He eventually died in the Department of Corrections’ custody in 1996.
A Pattern of Violence
Sheriff Weekly noted that Groves is now linked to at least seven other homicides of women and girls in the Centennial State, though Denver police surmise he may be responsible for more than 20 deaths.
Fisher’s immediate family has since passed away, but a surviving cousin told the Sheriff's Office she was "very happy to have answers" after 38 years of uncertainty.
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