The girl Candace Hiltz had been genuinely remarkable. Candace was an intelligent child who had already finished three years of college by the time she was sixteen! She had always hoped to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court, and there's little doubt that she would have been successful if given the opportunity. Candace had been taking time off from college at the time of her murder in order to devote all of her attention to her infant daughter Paige, who had hydrocephaly. There was no way of knowing how long the infant would live, and Candace wanted to spend as much time as possible with her daughter. The teenager, young Candace, is recalled as being feisty, strong-willed, and anything but a pushover; this is likely what killed her.
A law enforcement official harbored incriminating evidence from a murder case that transpired a decade ago, concealing it within his storage facility over the passage of years.
Rick Ratzlaff, hailing from Cañon City, Colorado, stumbled upon this gruesome revelation subsequent to his acquisition of the storage unit through an auction held in December.
Upon unlocking the unit, he chanced upon a blood-soaked rope, an axe, and a pair of blood-stained socks meticulously enclosed in a manila envelope labeled 'Evidence,' as detailed by the Denver Post. This storage facility previously belonged to Lt. Det. Robert Dodd of the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. However, due to Dodd's delinquency in payments, the unit was put up for auction. Remarkably, the evidentiary items were linked to the 2006 murder case of Candace Hiltz.
Candace, at the tender age of 17, was discovered lifeless, shot within her family residence in Copper Gulch on August 15. Though her brother James Hiltz was a person of interest in the murder, he remained uncharged.
Presently, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has initiated an inquiry into the removal of case evidence from police records, stowed away in a sheriff's personal storage space. Detective Dodd has been placed on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation.
The aggrieved Hiltz family contends that the concealed evidence substantiates a cover-up, fervently demanding justice for the slain teenager.
Dolores Hiltz, the mother of the murder victim, asserted, "(Dodd) had to pilfer the evidence from the basement of the sheriff's office. He did that either to shield himself or someone else."
Heather Hiltz, Candace's sister-in-law, expressed, 'It just appears as though something was obscured by somebody.' She added, 'My family is hopeful that whoever was involved in this, whoever perpetrated it, they need to be held accountable.'
Ratzlaff, the purchaser of the storage locker in Fremont County for $50, conveyed his shock upon discovering the evidence linked to the murder case. He reported reaching out to local law enforcement, claiming that Dodd and Sheriff Jim Beicker promptly cautioned him against divulging the contents of the storage shed.
However, he harbored reservations about the entire situation, questioning, 'Why would they possess all of this dated murder evidence?'
When Beicker and FCSO Commander Jeff Worley inspected the shed, Ratzlaff clandestinely recorded their conversation. Beicker is heard remarking, 'This is odd, this is really, really odd. It's a mess, it's a frickin' mess.' Ratzlaff confronted Beicker, stating, 'A law enforcement officer is not supposed to take evidence home. That's not ethically right.'
Beicker assured him that the CBI would conduct an investigation, unaware that Ratzlaff had already contacted them.
A CBI spokesperson verified an ongoing investigation but refrained from providing further details.
This discovery has reopened emotional wounds for Hiltz's family, who harbored longstanding suspicions regarding their daughter's demise.
Dolores disclosed that days before her daughter's murder, a law enforcement officer visited their family home over allegations that her son James, grappling with mental health issues, had trespassed. The confrontation escalated, leading to Candace losing her temper and making allegations against the officer. The subsequent events included the mysterious murder of the family dog and, eventually, the tragic discovery of Candace on August 15.
The investigation initially focused on James as a suspect, but Dolores adamantly maintains his innocence. She points to crucial errors in the investigation, such as the failure to secure the crime scene.
Despite the family's enduring hope that the CBI's involvement will prompt a reopening of the case, the clearing of their son's name, and the attainment of justice for their deceased daughter, uncertainty prevails.
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