Special Reward of up to $30,000!

Arapahoe County, Colorado: After 51 years, investigators, family and friends have not given up in the search to find who brutally murdered 15-year-old Marilee Burt.

Marilee was last seen alive walking home in her cheerleading uniform after a basketball game at Goddard Junior High School in Littleton, Colorado on February 26, 1970. Several independent witnesses reported seeing Marilee walking a route that included Berry Drive, Bowles Avenue and Middlefield Road, but she never made it home. 

The day after she disappeared, a Jefferson County road crew found Marilee’s naked body in Deer Creek Canyon, several miles away from where she was last seen, and contacted law enforcement. She had been sexually assulted and strangled to death. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office collected evidence and interviewed witnesses. Years after her death, investigators were able to create a DNA profile using evidence that was collected at the scene. The DNA found hasn’t yet yielded a match for the killer in local or federal databases, however investigators remain hopeful that whoever responsible for this horrendous crime will be brought to justice.   

“The substantial increase to the reward hopefully allows us to collect more information to bring the suspect(s) in the Marilee Burt homicide to justice.” Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown said, “We continue the complex work required to follow up on leads in this case for Marilee and her family. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office is grateful for the commitment from community members to assist in bringing justice for victims of  crime and victim’s families.”

Marilee was last seen talking to someone in a vehicle that had stopped on South Middlefield Road. Her family began a frantic search and reported Marilee as missing to Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office.

“This is not a cold case by any means. Every year we receive several tips on this case and we are hoping with the generosity of the anonymous donors that we will finally be able to identify who perpetrated this horrific crime against Marilee” said Michael Mills, Metro Denver Crime Stopper Board President.

If you have information about this egregious crime, no matter how miniscule it may seem, please contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and be eligible for a reward of up to $30,000.

Call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers (720) 913-7867 - (720) 913-STOP

Submit a tip online: https://www.metrodenvercrimestoppers.com/anonymous-tips 

To be eligible for the award and to remain anonymous, tipsters must call the tip line or submit a tip online. Metro Denver Crime Stoppers collects information on unsolved crimes or individuals wanted by the police. Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $30,000 in this case. The tip line is answered 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. 

KDVR Story - Story by: Kristin Haubrich (KDVR) - Feb 25, 2020

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Who killed Marilee Burt? It’s a question that has puzzled detectives for decades. The teenage cheerleader was brutally killed half a century ago and there are still no arrests in her case.

Wednesday marks 50 years since Burt was killed. Her family is still desperate for answers. But after all of these years, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said recent tips have come in that have now made Burt’s death a top priority for the Cold Case Unit.

“She was so vibrant. So full of energy,” said Marrin Burt, Marilee’s niece.

It was the night of Feb. 26, 1970. Fifteen-year-old Marilee Burt was a cheerleader and performed at a basketball game at Goddard Junior High. After the game, she walked toward her home in Columbine Valley.

“She had her little Goddard cheerleader uniform on and her hair in pigtails and started on her walk home,” Marrin said.

The family said Marilee’s brother, Raymond, happened to be driving home around that time and saw a girl with pigtails. But they said he didn’t recognize the girl was his sister because she rarely wore her hair like that.

“I believe my dad had been further up and had seen Marilee in his rear-view mirror and had seen her stop to talk to a person in the vehicle. But it was far away and he didn’t realize if it was her or not,” Marrin said. “She turned to speak with to the person in the vehicle which in theory we have always said we think it was someone she had known.”

The next day, Marilee’s body was found in Deer Creek Canyon. Detectives said she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Her killer has never been found. 

The case has perplexed Arapahoe County Sheriff’s detectives for decades. Police did pull DNA off Marilee’s body but have yet to find a match in any local or federal database. But her family is hoping continued advancements in DNA testing may help.

“We’re hoping with the ancestry and all the new DNA, that some of these cold cases are being cracked left and right and we get a little bit hopeful. We’re getting more hopeful again that someday, someday we will get a hit and have some closure,” Marrin said.

Marilee’s parents died without ever getting justice. Now, the torch has been passed to younger family members to help keep her memory alive.

“Time does heal things but it never leaves your soul,” Marrin said. “It would just be such a beautiful thing to have closure for Marilee.”

“There’s got to be someone out there that knows something,” Marilee’s nephew, Trevor Burt said.

Anyone with any information concerning the incident is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.

Call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers
(720) 913-7867 - (720) 913-STOP

Submit a tip online: https://www.metrodenvercrimestoppers.com/anonymous-tips

To be eligible for the award and to remain anonymous, tipsters must call the tip line or submit a tip online. Crime Stoppers collects information on unsolved crimes or individuals wanted by the police. Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000. The tip line is answered 24 hours a day - 7 days a week.