The FBI has released new age-progression images of a man accused of killing a University of Colorado student more than four decades ago, and is asking for the public's help in bringing him to justice.
Thayne Alan Smika, now 67 years old, is believed to have spent decades evading arrest after the August 1, 1983, killing of his former roommate Sidney Lee Wells, 22. Wells, a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder studying journalism and enrolled in the Navy ROTC program, was found lying on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to the head.
Smika was identified as a suspect during the initial investigation, but was not immediately charged. Three years later, authorities found his abandoned car in Beverly Hills, California, with a stolen license plate, and a state warrant charging him with first-degree murder was issued in December 2010.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Smika's arrest and conviction, and says it will work with the Boulder Police to pursue the fugitive until he is found and brought into custody.
Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said investigators hope the newly released images generate fresh leads in the decades-old homicide investigation, and that no matter how much time has passed, the police will never stop searching for justice.
Smika may now be living in the United States or abroad, and may be clean-shaven or have a beard or mustache and may wear glasses. He does not have a valid U.S. passport and may have lived in Yelapa, Mexico, for years before 2007.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Boulder Police tip line at 303-441-1974, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Anonymous tips can also be made through Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
