Open cases: A look into unsolved mysteries

When I was seven years old I used to watch the 1987 “Unsolved Mysteries” series. I thought some of the episodes were sketchy because I thought cases involving missing people would have been solved within a few weeks.

Today it seems that there are more mysterious cases that have not been solved by the authorities because of the lack of evidence at the crime scene. Last year in San Luis Obispo, Calif. there was a mysterious death of 21-year-old resident Thomas “Tommy” Jodry.

On the morning of Sept. 19, 2019, Jodry told his parents Bill and Mary Jane he was going to an art festival near California Polytechnic State University with a guy named David Allen Knight, who claimed he was connected to the art scene. It was the last time Mr. and Mrs. Jodry saw their son alive. At 10 p.m. Knight showed up on Jodry’s doorstep to hand them their son’s cell phone he found after Jodry fell to his death.

Knight told Jodry’s parents that their son was in an accident and he got seriously injured. According to an article from Cal Coast News, Knight and Jodry went to a bar called Frog and Peach located downtown in San Luis Obispo, Knight then gave Jodry nine shots of whiskey within one hour. Jodry’s parents were not pleased to hear how their son got drunk because they knew Jodry’s body could not handle alcohol. During that time frame, Jodry angrily left the bar and walked to the parking garage.

At some point, Jodry fell to his death while in the parking garage. When the authorities showed up, Knight talked to the officers at the crime scene and he was cleared from any wrongdoing. The police ruled Jodry’s death as a suicide, but the coroner’s office thought differently. During the investigation, they labeled Jodry’s suicide to be “undetermined” due to a lack of physical evidence to prove if Jodry intentionally jumped, accidentally fell or if someone pushed him.

Today, the case is closed and Jodrys’s parents are still looking for answers. Both parents have filed a wrongful death suit against Knight but it does not seem to be going in their favor because Knight only paid for the shots of whiskey that evening.

In the last month, the community group “Justice 4 Thomas” had a peaceful vigil for Jodry. Sandee Hunt-Burns runs a public relations firm called “Project Siren” and the company supports nonprofits and victim advocacy. “Project Siren ” founded “Justice 4 Thomas” with the help of a group of residents who have learned about the case.

Although the case is closed, hopefully justice will be served so Jodry’s family and the community of San Luis Obispo can find peace.

While learning about Jodry’s case, I began to research information about
unsolved cases in Weld County. According to an article from 99.9 The Point’s website, there are 21 unsolved and open cases in Weld County that are closed due to a lack of physical evidence.

The article gives a brief overview of each case and the information provided gives an insight as to why each case has not been solved. The most interesting is the case of former University of Northern Colorado student Denise Davenport. On Feb. 14, 1985, Davenport was last seen leaving the Greeley Mall. Days later, Davenport’s car was found in a student dorm parking lot and her body was found at the South Platte River on April 20.

Davenport’s body was found 35 years ago and authorities have ruled the case as a homicide despite no one being charged for her death.