A suspect in a Denver cold case sexual assault dating back to 2004 has been arrested in Missouri after investigators linked DNA evidence, authorities said.
Jason Groshart, 49, was taken into custody on Tuesday and is awaiting extradition to Colorado, according to a joint news release from Denver police and the district attorney’s office.
Investigators used DNA evidence and genetic genealogy to identify Groshart as a suspect, the release said.
On March 30, 2004, police responded to the 3700 block of North Stuart Street on a report of a burglary and sexual assault. DNA evidence was collected at the time, but a suspect was not identified.
Investigative Genetic Genealogy DNA research, a tool used by cold case investigators in Denver, led to Groshart, a Sedalia, Mo., resident. He is currently being held in the Pettis County Jail on investigation of first-degree sexual assault, first-degree burglary and second-degree kidnapping.
“The arrest of Groshart demonstrates our commitment to victims of crime and that the Denver Police Department never forgets,” said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who harm our community. Groshart committed a crime of violence against a member of our community … we hope we are able to provide some relief to the survivor.”
Denver’s Integrated Cold Case Project is funded, in part, through a 2020 Genetic Genealogy and Familial Match Searching Grant, the release said, awarded to police by the Bureau of Justice Assistance for a total of $470,000.
Since 2004, Denver’s project has received more than $4.2 Million in grant funding from the National Institute of Justice. The district attorney’s office partners with police in the project.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office aided in the identification and apprehension of Groshart.
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