CASPER, Wyo. — The case of a Casper woman who went missing and was found dead in Colorado in 1975 has been solved, according to authorities in Westminster, Colorado.
Teree Becker was a Kelly Walsh High School graduate who grew up in Casper and moved to Denver shortly after graduation, according to the Westminster police. On Dec. 6, 1975, she was found dead at the age of 20 in a Westminster field. The autopsy determined she had been strangled and sexually assaulted, according to police.
In 2003, a DNA profile of the suspect was extracted, but no matches were found until 2013, “when an unknown DNA profile submitted by Las Vegas Metro Police Department matched to the unknown DNA profile in our homicide,” the release said.
Las Vegas Metro Police Department had been reviewing a cold case involving a female who had been found raped and murdered in her apartment in 1991.
“Through the DNA link, it determined the individual who murdered Teree Becker also murdered the female in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Metro PD also did not have a suspect in their case,” Westminster PD said.
In 2018, the DNA profile was used to start looking for familial links. Five years later, a suspect was identified: Thomas Martin Elliott.
In October 2023, Las Vegas Metro PD exhumed Elliott’s body and extracted DNA from the bones. In December, Thomas Martin Elliott was identified to the unknown male DNA in both the Westminster and Las Vegas homicides,” the release said.
Thomas Elliott spent a large portion of his life in and out of the prison system. Shortly before he murdered Teree he committed a burglary in Lakewood that he would ultimately be convicted of, spending six (6) years in prison.
While in prison, Thomas was moved throughout the Department of Corrections system and was ultimately released from prison in Las Vegas in 1981. After his release he proceeded to commit a crime against a child and received a ten (10) year sentence.
He was again released in Las Vegas in 1991, where he would go on to murder the victim who was linked with our homicide. Not long after this homicide, for unknown reasons, Thomas Elliott committed suicide on October 30, 1991. He was buried in the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery due to a short enlistment he had with the military. Westminster, Colorado police
“We are thrilled we were able to solve this cold case and hopefully bring closure to the friends and family of Teree Becker,” Westminster PD said.
Before leaving for Denver, Becker worked at the Golden Bell Press, a local newspaper at the time, according to the release. Teree often stayed with friends and family and was described as a “free spirit.” She enjoyed painting and listening to music; her favorite bands were Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf.
According to the release, her parents had the following inscribed on her headstone: “In God’s Hands.”
