Arrest made in 1987 cold case murder of 22-year-old Karla Jane Delcour
Yesterday, Missouri’s Franklin County Sheriff, Steve Pelton, released details concerning the arrest of a man charged with the 1987 cold case murder of a then 22-year-old woman.
On June 24, 1987, the woman’s body was discovered in a wooded area along the North Service Road approximately two miles West of St. Clair, Missouri. She was discovered in a state of decomposition, bound at the wrists and around the neck. An extensive investigation was conducted revealing that the case was a homicide.
The St. Louis Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be strangulation by ligature. She was later identified as Karla Jane Delcour, who was 22 years old at the time of her murder.
Investigators retraced her last steps in the town of St. Clair and determined her murder occurred on or around June 21, 1987, at a residence off Iron Hill Road in Union, Missouri.
At the time, investigators spoke to several potential witnesses and /or suspects. However, charges were never brought forth. Her murder remained unsolved until 2018 when Franklin County Cold Case investigators reopened the investigation into her murder.
Franklin County Detectives traveled to Texas, Arizona, and locations inside Missouri to re-interview suspects and witnesses. Investigators felt that enough evidence existed to charge at least one person with her murder. The original report was updated and submitted to the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review.
Many details in her murder are not part of the sheriff’s report “because there is a long way to go to reach justice for Karla Delcour and her family and a premature release of information might hinder that for the family. This case is about bringing justice for the victim and the victim’s family, and ensuring that Ms. Delcour will not be forgotten.”
On December 23, Kirby R. King, 64, was arrested and charged with Murder in the Second Degree. His bond was set at $100,000. King is scheduled to be back in court on January 14, 2020, for a counsel review hearing.
King is denying being guilty of murdering Delcour.
Pelton went on record as thanking the Cold Case Investigations Unit for their countless hours investigating this case and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office for their extensive review of the case.
If anyone has any information regarding this case, or any unsolved homicide or missing person from Franklin County, regardless how seemingly insignificant, please contact The Franklin County Sheriff’s Detective Division at 636-583-2560 or e-mail franklincountycoldcase@franklinmo.net.
For more on the arrest of Kirby King, suspected in the cold case murder of Karla Jane Delcour, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: Steve Pelton, Franklin County Sheriff)
~ Posted by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
