Tracy Marie Neef was a bright, energetic seven-year-old first-grader born on January 6th, 1977. On the morning of Friday, March 16th, 1984, her mother, Susan Neef, dropped her off at Bertha Heid Elementary School in Thornton, Colorado (in Adams County). The drop-off occurred between eight sixteen and eight twenty a.m., about ten minutes late. Due to the delay, the playground was empty, other children were already inside, and the main doors were locked or closed.
Tracy, carrying her red school bag with a Pac-Man lunchbox, approached the school. She attempted to enter through the north door but found it locked. Witnesses and investigation details indicate she then ran toward an opening in the chain-link fence surrounding the school grounds, likely trying to find another way in. Her mother watched until Tracy was out of sight, unaware that this would be the last time she saw her daughter alive. Tracy never made it into the school building, and no school staff reported seeing her.
The abduction appears to have occurred almost immediately after the drop-off, possibly as Tracy lingered near the fence on Poze Boulevard (a busy street curving around the school). Investigators believe the perpetrator may have lured her to a vehicle or quickly grabbed her, as there were no signs of a prolonged struggle at the school site. The case suggests premeditation to some degree (e.g., possible use of rope or cord for restraint), but the killing may have occurred impulsively.
It is estimated that Tracy’s murder occurred between approximately ten thirty a.m. and noon, based on witness accounts of suspicious activity on a dirt road near Barker Reservoir and related evidence.
Around one thirty p.m., a man discovered Tracy’s red school bag discarded next to a dirt road at Barker Reservoir in Boulder County, near Nederland in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Later that afternoon, around two forty-five p.m., Susan Neef arrived to pick up her daughter from school and learned Tracy had never arrived or been marked present. Alarmed, she searched the area and contacted her husband, Gary Neef. By about four p.m., Gary called 911 to report her missing after neighborhood searches yielded nothing.
At approximately four forty-five p.m., a couple driving in the area discovered Tracy’s body in a small grassy area between rocks, about a quarter-mile west of Barker Dam, near a pullout off Highway 119/Boulder Canyon. Her body lay on its side with knees bent and hands on her belly, placed rather than thrown. Her school supplies were scattered nearby, and her bag was found roughly a hundred feet away, possibly discarded as the perpetrator fled.
The autopsy determined the cause of death as suffocation combined with exposure to the cold. Ligature marks were present on her wrists (from rope or cord binding), a mark on her right chin (possibly from a coat strap used to silence or restrain her), and scratches on her face (potentially from fingernails during a struggle). Evidence suggested sexual molestation or abuse, though her clothes (jeans and T-shirt) remained on, and it appeared no completed rape occurred, possibly because she died prematurely during the assault. Two hairs (potentially from the killer) were recovered: one on her shoe (later lost) and one near her pubic area.
The case drew immediate massive attention, involving the Thornton Police Department, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and FBI. Over a hundred investigators reviewed known sex offenders in Colorado. DNA testing occurred in 1998 (samples contaminated) and 2006 (used to exclude two longstanding suspects). Evidence issues, including lost or destroyed items, have complicated the investigation.
Over the years, various theories and persons of interest have surfaced. For example, a primary suspect was identified at one point, but there was insufficient evidence for charges.
Additionally, in 2010, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office examined whether serial killer Scott Kimball (then serving seventy years for other murders) could be connected. Kimball, seventeen and living in Montana at the time but with Colorado ties (including family visits and a connection to a cabin near Barker Reservoir), reportedly told a relative he helped bury a girl’s body there, though Tracy was not buried. No charges resulted from this lead.
Retired detective James Benish (who worked the cold case in the 1990s) explored possible links to other unsolved child murders, including theories of a serial offender potentially connecting to cases like the murder of Lacey Ruff in Kauai, Hawaii in July 1993, and the extremely high-profile 1996 murder of JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado. Though there are similarities between the cases, these links remain speculative and unproven.
No arrests have ever been made, and the case remains open and unsolved with the Thornton Police Department as of February 2026.
Crime Immemorial 