Ten years after Chelsea Yasser was murdered in Aurora, Colorado, the Aurora Police Department has launched a new podcast in an effort to identify her killer. The five-episode series, titled "The White Whale – The Chelsea Yasser Story," aims to generate tips from the public that could help solve the decade-old cold case.
Yasser, 21, was killed on May 15, 2016, in a parking lot. Police were dispatched to the scene after a caller reported finding a woman. Upon arrival, officers discovered Yasser with multiple stab wounds. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The murder was captured on grainy surveillance footage, which shows a maroon van pulling up and Yasser being taken inside. "Chelsea was stabbed to death multiple times inside the minivan," said cold case detective Jason McDonald. "And she was able to get out and stumble over the curb of the business where this occurred, where she succumbed to her injuries."
Despite the video evidence, authorities have been unable to identify the suspect or the vehicle due to the poor quality of the footage. "It’s kind of unique that the murder itself was on video, but we just haven’t been able to identify who the driver of the minivan was or the minivan itself," McDonald stated.
The investigation initially yielded few leads, and the case went cold. The police department is now pursuing new investigative leads and re-examining DNA evidence. "We're 10 years in. We have a few more investigative leads that we're pursuing, and we're working with DNA yet again to see what we can come up with," McDonald added.
Public information officer Joe Moylan explained that the department is taking an unconventional approach by reaching out to the podcast community. "The department is kind of going outside the box and reaching a public that we may not normally reach out to, which is the podcast community," Moylan said. The podcast delves into the details of Yasser's murder and the subsequent investigation, revealing more information than previously released.
"Our major crime and homicide unit has given us a lot more leeway to try to tell a fuller story than we might traditionally do with a more recent case," Moylan said. "So I think just through the storytelling and getting to know who Chelsea was, talking about what happened the day of and then what has transpired in the years since — what we're really trying to do is identify the suspect and the driver of that van."
The series also features interviews with Yasser's loved ones, aiming to humanize her and highlight her as more than just a victim. "We don't want her to be a number. She was a real person. She had a family. She had friends. She had people who cared about her," Moylan said. "She deserves justice. Her family deserves some peace, and the person who murdered her needs to be held accountable."
This effort by the Aurora Police Department reflects a growing trend where law enforcement agencies nationwide are utilizing podcasts and social media to draw attention to cold cases. "It's new to us. It's still a little bit innovative, but I mean, we've been doing this. We've been working with podcast companies and documentary companies forever on these cases, and just spreading the word and doing what we can to try to get that last piece to the puzzle and get this solved," Moylan noted.
Detective McDonald believes the podcast offers a significant opportunity to reach a large audience. "The process of producing the podcast itself is a part of this investigation. Like any other work we put into the case, doing the podcast is extremely beneficial, because of the potential it has with the huge audience that we're going to be able to reach," he said. Both officers hope the podcast will lead to an arrest and provide closure for Yasser's family.