DENVER (KDVR) — Aurora police revealed Thursday that in April, detectives discovered missing reports and information related to an open case, prompting a months-long investigation.
On Thursday, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said that a retired Major Crimes Homicide Unit detective was found to have 30 boxes of case materials in a crawl space in his home that related to 35 homicide cases. The detective, who was not named, worked at the agency for 41 years and retired in 2022.
Chamberlain said that as crime rates have fallen in Aurora, the Major Crimes Homicide Unit has had time to look into cold cases.
“During a review of a case from 1997, detectives were unable to locate certain case materials that were part of that investigation,” Chamberlain said during a press conference held Thursday afternoon.
Chamberlain said the detectives were able to connect the records to the retired detective, who brought some of the records to the Aurora Police Department headquarters that contained VHS tapes, photos and other materials from the investigation. That’s when detectives and evidence technicians went to the home and located 30 boxes of materials.
“Immediately we knew that we had something that we needed to look at deeper, get more involved with it and try to bring more clarity to what we were dealing with,” Chamberlain said. “Our detectives were concerned and began to ask specific questions to the retired detective, had he had any additional information either on his person at home or anywhere else.”
All of the materials found at the detective’s home were related to homicide cases he had worked on. None of the materials was physical evidence, such as blood stains or clothing, Chamberlain said.
Because of what they found, the Aurora Police Department notified the 17th and 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Offices, the city’s legal office, the Office of the Independent Monitor that oversees the department due to a consent decree, and other agencies that were involved in the cases.
On May 9, the detective consented to a second search of his home, but no additional materials were found.
“I want to reiterate that nothing found in this by our detectives indicates that there are any recovered materials that have compromised any of the prosecution cases, any of the cases that are unfolding, any of the cases that have occurred,” Chamberlain said.
He said that internal and random audits have been conducted on the department’s internal materials and an audit calendar has been established to ensure more checks are held going forward.
“Evidence control is really at the foundation of the integrity of what we do,” Chamberlain said Thursday. “None of the information has helped, none of the information has hurt it, none of the information has hindered it or changed it in any way. That’s the unique thing, and that’s why, again, this is without question a serious event, but luckily, what we didn’t find is really
compelling information that would have proved somebody’s guilt, somebody’s innocence, would have proved a victim was not served or a victim was overserved.”
He said the detective appears to have felt he had the right to bring some of his work home, and wanted to retain documents. Many of the documents were copies, Chamberlain said.
“Criminally, if we find out there is tampering of evidence, if there is destruction of evidence, if there’s something that tainted a case, I will personally and this department will, without question, step forward and hold that individual accountable in a criminal court of law,” Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain said that he will not step away from the difficult issue within his organization and will continue to investigate.
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