1987 Colorado Homicide Victim Identified 36 Years Later As Police Seek Answers

Jerry Mikkelson's body was found near the border of Colorado and Wyoming in 1987

The body of a homicide victim found in 1987 has finally been identified after 36 years, but police are still seeking answers.

Jerry Mikkelson willingly left his home in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Aug. 8, 1983, according to the Jackson County (Colo.) Sheriff’s Office. Four years later, the 24-year-old's body was found near the border of Colorado and Wyoming. He was wearing a vest with the initials L.B.L. written on a tag, police say. It’s believed Mikkelson was killed in Wyoming and dumped in Colorado based on soil samples, the sheriff's office said.

For years, Mikkelson’s body was unidentified. But in June, the sheriff’s office exhumed his remains, which led to new DNA samples as well as the discovery of a titanium rod in his right femur. Using investigative genetic genealogy and other techniques, Mikkelson was finally identified, the sheriff’s office announced. His family were able to confirm that he had broken his femur six years before going missing.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Police did not reveal if there are any suspects in Mikkelson’s murder. Citing a missing person’s report filed by his family in 1983, police say Mikkelson might have spent time in Pittsburgh, Penn., Olathe, Kan., Wyoming and possibly Colorado. He was 5-foot-9, weighed about 160 pounds and had brown eyes, brown hair and naturally curly and wavy hair, police say.

Anyone with information about Mikkelson or the cold case can submit a tip totips@jacksoncountyco.gov, or at 970-875-7069.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.