Salt Lake City police say they solved 40-year-old murder case

Salt Lake City police say DNA and other evidence have identified the man who killed an 18-year-old woman in 1985, a case that went unsolved for 40 years.

Salt Lake City police say DNA and other evidence have identified the man who killed an 18-year-old woman in 1985, a case that went unsolved for 40 years.

The man responsible for sexually assaulting and fatally shooting 18-year-old Christine Gallegos, whose body was found in a field on May 16, 1985, was a 27-year-old airman who died in 2023, police said Thursday.

DNA and genealogy testing led investigators to identify Ricky Lee Stallworth as the likely suspect in the case, and a family member’s DNA confirmed the match, police said.

Christine Gallegos.Salt Lake City Police Dept“I didn’t know I was going to speak — I just know that I sure miss this girl every day,” Gallegos’ mother, Leah Gallegos, said at a news conference with her adult son standing beside her.

“I wonder about the kids that she would have, and I watch other people with their daughters, their grandkids,” Leah Gallegos said.