AURORA | A new Aurora Police Department podcast is bringing renewed attention to Chelsea Yasser’s unsolved murder in hopes of uncovering new answers.

A decade after Chelsea Yasser was stabbed to death in an Aurora parking lot, authorities are taking a new approach to solving her case.

The Aurora Police Department has launched “The White Whale: The Chelsea Yasser Story,” a multi-episode podcast focused on the unsolved case, hoping public interest in true crime can help uncover new leads.

“The Public Information Office has been looking into launching a podcast for about a year,” said Joe Moylan, a public information officer for the Aurora Police Department. “We chose the Chelsea Yasser case because we believe it can be solved.”

On Sunday, May 15, 2016, Chelsea Yasser was found in the parking lot of a Burlington in Aurora. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for multiple stab wounds but died later that night.

The 21-year-old from Arizona was visiting her boyfriend in Colorado. Cameras caught the murder, capturing a van that drove up and pulled her inside, but no additional details were visible, leaving the case unsolved.

The Aurora Police Department believes advancements in forensic technology could provide new opportunities to identify a suspect. By looking into genetic genealogy, the police department’s cold case detective, Jason McDonald, hopes to find some leads.

“Detective McDonald is exploring advancements in DNA analysis that weren’t available to us 10 years ago,” Moylan said.

In the past decade, there have been major breakthroughs in DNA testing such as investigative genetic genealogy, enhanced testing at crime scenes and new ways to sequence degraded samples. Beyond these advancements, investigators are also turning to the public for help.

“We actually received tips prior to [the podcast’s] launch when members of the community saw our promotional videos on social media,” Moylan said.

Investigators are particularly interested in information about the vehicle connected to the crime. Surveillance footage captured the vehicle, but the time of day and distance made it impossible to get a license plate or see the suspect’s appearance.

While the renewed attention brings hope for answers, it reopens old wounds within Chelsea’s family.

Jack Yasser, Chelsea’s father, was hesitant to participate in the podcast because revisiting his daughter’s murder has been emotionally difficult.

“I had to restart therapy recently because it is a trigger in my life,” said Yasser. “I would love to get some closure. It’s a lot, but I owe it to my daughter.”

Yasser said that his whole family has also been troubled about the publicity of the case. They are particularly worried about it being sensationalized, as they have struggled with being in the public eye before.

“We went through the media a few years back. I feel they dragged my daughter through the mud and gave her a bad look. They focused more on other things when they should have been focused more on a young girl’s murder,” he said.

Police said Yasser was working as an escort who advertised on Backpage.com and had a date the night she was killed. Despite his family’s mixed feelings, her dad believes it is important to share Chelsea’s story.

“She deserves justice,” he said. “I’ll never get my daughter back and that’s hard enough.”

Yasser said evidence was collected from underneath her fingernail, but identifying a suspect through that DNA depends on whether the person responsible is already in a law enforcement DNA database.

“This time, investigators are using genealogy to try to use the suspect’s DNA and blood to identify the culprit,” Yasser said.

The first episode of the podcast series, titled “The Dark Red Van,” is available on many platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

As the investigation continues, the Aurora Police Department is encouraging the public to come forward with any information that could help solve the case and spread awareness.

“If this was your daughter and they were taken from you… in a horrendous way, how would you feel?” Yasser said. “Hold onto your children tight, don’t let em” slip away. Hold on tight.”

This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https://www.google.com/url?q=https://colabnews.co&source=gmail-imap&ust=1784317174000000&usg=AOvVaw3nxtnvF1QF-wzJQMN4vAis

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