{"id":3526,"date":"2026-07-10T20:33:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T20:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3526"},"modified":"2026-07-10T20:33:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T20:33:56","slug":"aurora-police-department-podcast-revives-search-for-chelsea-yassers-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3526","title":{"rendered":"Aurora Police Department podcast revives search for Chelsea Yasser\u2019s killer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><strong>AURORA<\/strong> | A new Aurora Police Department podcast is bringing renewed attention to Chelsea Yasser\u2019s unsolved murder in hopes of uncovering new answers.<\/p>\n<p>A decade after Chelsea Yasser was stabbed to death in an Aurora parking lot, authorities are taking a new approach to solving her case.<\/p>\n<p>The Aurora Police Department has launched \u201cThe White Whale: The Chelsea Yasser Story,\u201d a multi-episode podcast focused on the unsolved case, hoping public interest in true crime can help uncover new leads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Public Information Office has been looking into launching a podcast for about a year,\u201d said Joe Moylan, a public information officer for the Aurora Police Department. \u201cWe chose the Chelsea Yasser case because we believe it can be solved.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s cold case detective, Jason McDonald, hopes to find some leads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDetective McDonald is exploring advancements in DNA analysis that weren\u2019t available to us 10 years ago,\u201d Moylan said.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe actually received tips prior to [the podcast\u2019s] launch when members of the community saw our promotional videos on social media,\u201d Moylan said.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s appearance.<\/p>\n<p>While the renewed attention brings hope for answers, it reopens old wounds within Chelsea\u2019s family.<\/p>\n<p>Jack Yasser, Chelsea\u2019s father, was hesitant to participate in the podcast because revisiting his daughter\u2019s murder has been emotionally difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had to restart therapy recently because it is a trigger in my life,\u201d said Yasser. \u201cI would love to get some closure. It\u2019s a lot, but I owe it to my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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\u2019s murder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s mixed feelings, her dad believes it is important to share Chelsea\u2019s story.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe deserves justice,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll never get my daughter back and that\u2019s hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis time, investigators are using genealogy to try to use the suspect\u2019s DNA and blood to identify the culprit,\u201d Yasser said.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode of the podcast series, titled \u201cThe Dark Red Van,\u201d is available on many platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this was your daughter and they were taken from you\u2026 in a horrendous way, how would you feel?\u201d Yasser said. \u201cHold onto your children tight, don\u2019t let em\u201d slip away. Hold on tight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/colabnews.co&amp;source=gmail-imap&amp;ust=1784317174000000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3nxtnvF1QF-wzJQMN4vAis<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3521\">Hong Kong eateries welcome dogs as city relaxes ban<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3523\">Who is Telemachus, again? Circe? A guide to the characters of Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u2018The Odyssey\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3524\">Kia launches new recall for 463,000 Telluride SUVs due to fire risk, urges owners to park outside<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AURORA | A new Aurora Police Department podcast is bringing renewed attention to Chelsea Yasser\u2019s 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 \u201cThe White [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[5663,5664,5665,5666,5333],"class_list":["post-3526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-chelsea-yasser","tag-detective-mcdonald","tag-jack-yasser","tag-jason-mcdonald","tag-joe-moylan"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Aurora Police Department podcast revives search for Chelsea Yasser\u2019s killer - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3526\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aurora Police Department podcast revives search for Chelsea Yasser\u2019s killer - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AURORA | A new Aurora Police Department podcast is bringing renewed attention to Chelsea Yasser\u2019s 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. 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