CO CO - Richard Dean Roberts, 51, Hayden, 1 Feb 1995

[PommyMommy]

Colorado Cold Case Files - Case Detail: Richard Roberts

Case Type: Missing
Height: 6' 0"
Case Status: OPEN
Weight: 230 lbs
Aliases: See below
Incident Date: 02/01/1995
Agency: Hayden Police Department
City: Hayden
Date of Birth: 01/05/1944
County: Routt
Date of Death: Unknown
Agency Case #: 95H0182
Age: 51
Judicial District: 14th Judicial District
Gender: Male
Race: Caucasian
NamUs Case #: 12070
Eyes: Brown
NCMEC Case #: Unknown
Hair: Gray or Partially Gray

About this Case:
51-year-old Hayden town mayor Richard Roberts was last seen around 8:30 pm on February 1, 1995, when he told a town clerk he would not be attending the Hayden Town Council's bi-monthly meeting later that week. Mr. Roberts' job as a consultant to oil companies required him to travel through several counties visiting oil-rig pads, and friends said it was not unusual for him to be gone for more than a week. The town clerk's office reported Mr. Roberts missing February 9, 1995. The Hayden Police Department launched its investigation into Mr. Roberts's disappearance a few days later. His gray and white Ford pickup was found in the Utah desert near the Colorado state line. Mr. Robert's wallet, car keys and .22-caliber rifle were missing. Three footprints were found near the truck but a dry winter left them indistinct. All but one set of fingerprints left in the truck were accounted for. No other evidence was found at the site. Mr. Roberts' aliases include first names Richard, Chester, Dick, and Dean, and last names Roberts and Thayer. Mr. Roberts was divorced and lived alone at the time. He has three daughters. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to please contact the Hayden Police Department.

 

[PommyMommy]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Richard Dean Roberts
NamUs #MP12070

Date of Last Contact February 1, 1995
NamUs Case Created August 21, 2011
Missing From Hayden, Colorado
Missing Age 51 Years
Current Age 76 Years
Nickname/Alias Dick Roberts, Chester Roberts, Dean Roberts, Dean Thayer, Dick Thayer, Richard Thayer
Sex Male
Height 6' 0" (72 Inches)
Weight 220 - 250 lbs
Race / Ethnicity White / Caucasian
Hair Color Gray or Partially Gray
Head Hair Description Graying Red
Eye Color Brown
Last Known Location Map
Location Hayden, Colorado 81639
County Routt County

Transportation
Ford Truck
Color Gray/White
Comments His gray and white Ford pickup was found in the Utah desert near the Colorado state line

Circumstances of Disappearance Hayden town mayor Richard Roberts was last seen around 20:30 on February 1, 1995, when he told a town clerk that he would not be attending the Hayden Town Council's bi-monthly meeting later that week. His job as a consultant to oil companies required him to travel through several counties visiting oil-rig pads, and friends said it was not unusual for him to be gone for more than a week. The town clerk's office reported Roberts missing February 9. The Hayden Police Department launched its investigation into Roberts' disappearance a few days later. His gray and white Ford pickup was found in the Utah desert near the Colorado state line. Roberts' wallet, car keys and .22-caliber rifle were missing. Three footprints were found near the truck but a dry winter left them indistinct. All but one set of fingerprints left in the truck were accounted for. No other evidence was found at the site. Roberts was divorced and lived alone at the time. He has three daughters.

 

[PommyMommy]

Richard Dean Roberts – The Charley Project

Richard Dean Roberts

Roberts, circa 1995

• Missing Since 02/01/1995
• Missing From Hayden, Colorado
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 06/08/1917 (102)
• Age 75 years old
• Height and Weight 6'0, 220 - 270 pounds
• Medical Conditions Roberts suffers from seasonal affective disorder, which causes him to become depressed during the winter months.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Graying red hair, brown eyes. Roberts's nickname is Dick. He may use the alias names Chester Roberts, Dean Roberts, Dean Thayer, Dick Thayer and/or Richard Thayer. He is a chain-smoker.

Details of Disappearance
Roberts was last seen in Hayden, Colorado on February 1, 1995. He had been mayor of the town for about three years.

At 8:30 p.m. that day, Roberts told the town clerk he would be unable to attend the council's bi-monthly meeting later that week. After speaking to her, he went and had a cup of coffee at a local restaurant. He has never been heard from again.

Roberts was reported missing on February 9, but the police didn't actually begin investigating until a few days after that. He consulted for oil companies and often took business trips to other counties and states for days at a time, so his loved ones were initially unconcerned by his absence.

When authorities checked Roberts's home in the 300 block of west Lincoln Avenue, they found no evidence that he'd planned to be gone for an extended period.

The door was unlocked and the apartment was untidy, which is uncharacteristic of him. There were dirty dishes in the sink, his coffee pot was half-full, his answering machine was turned off and his computer was turned on.

Roberts left behind all his belongings, including his favorite shoes, his shaving kit and his coat. He also left a card he'd bought for his younger daughter's upcoming birthday. His wallet, car keys, a pistol and a .22-caliber rifle were missing.

On February 27, a rancher found Roberts's gray and white 1991 extended cab Ford pickup truck on private property in a desert area in Grand County, Utah, near the Colorado state line and not far from Grand Junction, Colorado, where Roberts's ex-wife and children lived.

The truck was parked about 100 feet offroad in a clump of trees, as if whoever put it there didn't want it to be found. There were three indistinct footprints nearby, and inside the truck were a pair of boots and a jacket. All but one of the sets of fingerprints on the vehicle have been accounted for and there were no indications of foul play.

The truck was the last trace of Roberts. It was parked twelve miles from the nearest highway, and his loved ones can't think of a reason why he would have gone there.

One theory is that Roberts took his own life. He suffered from seasonal depression and he was out of work and in debt at the time of his disappearance, he was reportedly drinking heavily, and he was having problems with his girlfriend.

He was only paid about $100 a month for being mayor, and he hadn't worked any of his secondary jobs since October 1994. There is little evidence to support suicide or any other theory, however.

Roberts was born in Cody, Wyoming, but he grew up in Colorado and graduated high school in the city of Craig. He worked as a truck driver and construction worker and is described as a quiet, shy man.

He and his wife divorced in 1988 after a sixteen-year marriage, but they remained in close contact. He has two daughters and one stepdaughter, all of whom were young adults in 1995. His case remains unsolved.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Great that there is DNA available. I am hoping he can be identified quickly when found. Maybe the unknown fingerprints can lead to another person's DNA too.

Identifiers
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

4246DMCO - Richard Dean Roberts

 

[CastlesBurning]

Birmingham PD asking for public’s help in solving cold case murder

 

[PommyMommy]

Birmingham PD asking for public’s help in solving cold case murder

The Richard Roberts in this case was 51 years old in 1995 when he disappeared from Hayden UT.

The linked article is about Richard Roberts, 23 years old, from Birmingham AL who was shot to death in 2018.

But, I hope they find the perpetrator in that case! MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 21, 2021

Missing: Highlighting the search for people missing in Colorado

After the nationwide search unfolded for Gabby Petito, there is a renewed effort to find missing people.

kdvr.com

There are currently more than 600 people listed as missing in the Colorado Bureau of Investigation database.

460. RICHARD DEAN ROBERTS

MAR 7, 2022

https://cbi.colorado.gov/sites/cbi/files/documents/2022%20Colorado%20Missing%20Person%20Name%20List.pdf

RICHARD DEAN ROBERTS

 

[Pennysmom1]

March 13, 2010

February marks 15 years since Hayden’s Dick Roberts was last seen

It’s been 15 years since Richard “Dick” Roberts’ gray and white Ford pickup was found in the Utah desert near the Colorado state line, surrounded by a cluster of pinyon pines. Roberts’ wallet, car keys and .22-caliber rifle were missing and so was the 6-foot-tall, 250-pound, red-haired man who...

www.steamboatpilot.com

Richard "Dick" Roberts - Missing since 1995

Richard "Dick" Roberts - Missing since 1995. 141 likes. Richard "Dick" Roberts, mayor of Hayden, CO, went missing in Feb 1995. His daughters want answers.

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