Another murder has been linked to one of Colorado’s most prolific serial killers, Vincent Darrell Groves.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, a rare DNA match linked the 1987 murder of Rhonda Marie Fisher to Groves, 38 years after she was killed. Fisher was 31 at the time of her death.

Rhonda Marie Fisher’s body was found on April 1, 1987 when a passing motorist spotted it down an embankment in the area of the 3500 block of South Perry Park Road, which is located in a rural area south of Sedalia. Investigators determined that Fisher had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The ensuing effort to track down Fisher’s killer would take decades, with clues limited in the case.

Fisher was last seen alive the night before her death, walking on Monaco Street Parkway in Denver. At the time, it was known Fisher had been staying with various acquaintances, and while one of those acquaintances was initially a suspect in her death, that person was cleared. Various serial offenders who were active in the Denver metro area throughout the 1970s to 1990s were considered as potential suspects in years that followed, but all leads led nowhere. According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, even renewed DNA testing efforts that took place in 2017 failed to yield results.

The latest development in the case stemmed from an early-2025 decision by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case unit to reopen the case. As part of this effort, additional items were submitted for DNA analysis.

By October, this effort came to fruition, when DNA from paper bags that had been placed on Fisher’s hands in an effort to preserve trace evidence was linked to three homicides that Vincent Darrel Groves committed in Denver in 1979.

Vincent Darrell Groves was a serial killer who was active between 1978 to 1988, known for primarily targeting vulnerable women. He was known to be involved in sex trafficking and drug distribution, ultimately convicted of a murder in 1982. Groves would, however, serve only five years for that killing, released from incarceration to commit additional crimes, including the murder of Rhonda Fisher.

Groves’ killings stopped when he was incarcerated for the 1988 killings of two people, and he died in 1996 while in custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections. He was 42 at the time of his death, which was attributed to health problems related to liver failure and Hepatitis C.

Authorities believe that Groves was responsible for at least 12 homicides, an attempted murder, and a sexual assault in the Denver metro area, also noting that “the true number of victims is likely higher.” Some sources speculate that the number of people Groves killed could be 20.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, cases involving Groves’ conviction “marked some of the earliest successful uses of DNA evidence in Colorado courts.”

“While Vincent Groves cannot be held accountable in a court of law, we hope this long-awaited resolution brings answers and a measure of peace to Rhonda Fisher’s family and friends” said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly of the case. “This case is a testament to our commitment to pursue justice for every victim—no matter how much time has passed.”

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reports that the agency has solved seven cold cases over the last seven years, remaining “steadfast in its mission to apply evolving technologies, revisit evidence with fresh perspectives, and forge strong forensic collaborations to ensure that no victim is forgotten.”

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