After graduating from Binghamton University with a degree in Psychology in 2000 Theresa Elizabeth Insana and one of her best friends Melissa moved to Las Vegas to pursue their dreams. After moving to Vegas both got jobs the Rio Casino and Hotel. In 2004 Theresa received a promotion and became a manager at the Rio.
Timeline of a disappearance and murder:
Around 6:30 PM on Tuesday, October 26th 2004, 27-year-old Theresa Insana was enjoying a phone call with her mom as her dog Frankie was playing in the backyard. That was the last time anyone ever spoke with Theresa. The following day numerous phone calls to Theresa?s cell and home phones went unanswered.
When Theresa failed to show up for work a second day in a row on Thursday October 28th, 2004 her co-worker, lifelong friend, and former roommate Melissa knew in her gut something was horribly wrong. Around 9:30 AM she decided to leave work and drive to Theresa?s Summerlin home and check on her.
On Melissa?s way-out of the office she encountered Jeff (Theresa?s ex-fianc) who also worked at the Rio. Jeff decided to accompany Melissa to the Summerlin home he and Theresa once shared.
After getting no response from knocking at the door Melissa sent Jeff around to the back. Around back Jeff climbed over the fence and found the backdoor unlocked. Jeff entered the home and walked to the front door letting Melissa in.
As they began looking around the two discovered something was very wrong, Theresa was not at home. Theresa?s beloved dog Frankie (her favorite thing in the world according to those who knew Theresa) had been left alone in the house for an extended period of time, something Theresa never would have done. Theresa?s purse, keys, cell phone, and cigarettes on the counter and her Hyundai Sonata in the garage.
At this point Melissa used her cell phone and placed a call to 911 who promptly dispatched Investigators from the LVMPD (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) to the scene.
Melissa, Jeff, and Frankie were waiting outside for the LVMPD when they arrived. After telling Investigators what they found, the Investigators entered the home.
Within two minutes of entering her home Investigators found immediate red flags that something serious had happened to Theresa:
When attempting to turn the garage light on, it did not turn on. With the scan of a flashlight, it was revealed the garage light had been unscrewed. After opening the door, the officers noticed what appeared to be a smudge of blood on the bumper of Theresa?s car. Upon opening the trunk officers found what appeared to be more blood and some mud inside.
They noticed the driver?s seat was moved all the way back and at 5?2 Theresa kept the seat all the way forward, indicating someone else had been the last person to drive the car.
A bathroom off the staircase indicated a struggle took place. The towel bar had been ripped from the wall and the bathroom rug was missing. The blanket Theresa kept on her couch was also missing.
While Investigators from the LVMPD were accessing the scene inside Theresa?s home, Melissa called Theresa?s parents Joseph and Annmarie Insana to inform them that Theresa was missing.
Joseph and Annmarie immediately left their Niagara Falls, NY home for Las Vegas and arrived late Thursday night.
On Friday morning October 29th, 2004 Theresa?s parents met with Investigators from the LVMPD and were updated on what they knew so far.
During the meeting Annmarie confirmed she had spoken with Theresa around 6:30 PM on October 26th, 2004.
By mid-Friday the case makes local news and volunteers began helping Joseph and Annmarie pass out and post thousands of flyers they had printed.
A search was planned for the following day Saturday October 30th, 2004 in a six- mile radius surrounding the area of Theresa?s Summerlin home. Hundreds of volunteer searchers, friends, and law enforcement spend all day and well into the night searching for Theresa without success.
On Monday morning November 1st, 2004 a lifeless body is found in a Summerlin water ravine wrapped in a blanket. The blanket is a match to one identified as missing from Theresa?s couch.
The placement of the body suggests that getting the body down into the ravine required more than one person due to the rocky slope down into the ravine. The discovery of her body confirms her parents, siblings, friends and concerned co-worker?s worst fears.
There was nothing in her lifestyle that would make her a high-risk victim, she was law-abiding and did not associate with anyone in the criminal world.
In the weeks prior to the murder Theresa had told a co-worker upon coming home, she thought someone had been in her house, since the TV had frequently been on stations she didn?t watch when turning it on at night.
Was someone hiding in her house waiting for her to return home or did she know her attacker?
Nothing of value was taken from Theresa?s home (money and jewelry were left behind.)
There were no signs of forced entry.
Extra food and water had been put out for Frankie.
Theresa?s dog Frankie a cocker spaniel was still a puppy and extremely friendly, so if someone had been in the home during the day, they might have gotten to know Frankie.
Had someone made a copy of the house key by taking Theresa?s keys out of her purse at work?
Did someone from her work start following and watching her?
Did one of the previous tenants prior to Theresa moving in give their keys away?
Within two months of Theresa?s murder over 20 DNA profiles were taken an analyzed from those closest to her and in her circle, none of those profiles is a match.
Testing later confirmed Theresa?s own car was used to transport her body and that the inside of vehicle has been wiped clean of prints.
The unscrewing of garage light was an intentional act meant to prevent anyone on the street or passing by from being able to potentially identify someone else driving Theresa?s car.
Whoever is responsible knew Theresa lived alone and that they had enough time to transport her body and return to home without the possibility of anyone else coming home.
For 15 years the case of Theresa Elizabeth Insana has haunted Investigators who have worked countless leads and kept the case open.
Recently Phenotyping and Autosomal DNA testing were done using the unknown male DNA to generate new leads and renew public interest in Theresa?s case.
Phenotyping generates a of portrait of what someone potentially looks like and Autosomal generates a genealogical profile that can then be uploaded into databases to find potential relatives. For every unsolved murder there is a victim with no justice, family and friends without answers, and a suspect among us.
Here is the Phenotyping Snapshot for Suspect Unknown: The Theresa Elizabeth Insana case. If you have any information please contact Dean O?Kelley directly: [email protected], or call the Las Vegas Metro Police at 702?828?8973.
Phenotyping cannot predict exact weight (weight can impact facial fullness) or hair length or hair style or changes to hair color or if an individual has facial hair (beard, mustache, or goatee).
Here is the Phenotyping Snapshot for Suspect Unknown: The Theresa Elizabeth Insana case. If you have any information please contact Dean O?Kelley directly: [email protected], or call the Las Vegas Metro Police at 702?828?8973.
Yolanda McClary is a retired Senior Crime Analyst from LVMPD and an Investigative Journalist who was one of the stars of the hit TNT series Cold Justice for 3 seasons and where she helped solve cold cases across the country.
