Sioux Falls man identified as victim in cold case murder investigation

November 10, 2023

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.–A Sioux Falls man has been identified as the victim in a 36-year-old homicide cold case.

New DNA technology has led to the identification of 24-year-old Jerry Mikkelson as the victim in a 1987 murder case.

In October of 1987, Mikkelson’s body was found on a Forest Service road in Colorado near the Wyoming border. It is believed that Mikkelson was murdered in Wyoming and brought to Colorado.

This past June, authorities in Colorado and Wyoming exhumed Mikkelson’s remains.

The process resulted in new DNA samples and the discovery of a titanium rod in the right femur.

Mikkelson’s family confirmed that six years prior to his death, Jerry had broken his femur and had a titanium rod implanted.

Authorities are still working to identify the person responsible for Mikkelson’s death.