GRISLY DISCOVERY

Missing Colorado Woman Found Dead in Manhole at Former Home

The current owner of Sylvia Frens’ house called police on April 26 to report a trash bag they found in a manhole of the home four years after she disappeared.

A woman who has been missing for four years was found dead in a manhole in her former Grand Junction, Colo. home, Fox News reports. Her daughter reported Sylvia Frens missing in May 2018. A month later, Frens’ son, Richard Vandervelde, allegedly lied to Missouri police about his identity after they pulled him over. When Grand Junction police questioned him about Frens, he told officers she had gone on a trip to California with a friend in April and that she gave him permission to use her debit card. Vandervelde allegedly withdrew $10,000 from his mother’s bank account between February and June 2018 and was driving her car after her disappearance. Police said he was living with her when she went missing. In their original investigation at Frens’ home, police noted a foul smell in the bedroom and a brown stain on the floor, but DNA testing found that it wasn’t blood, according to KKCO. The current owner of Frens’ house called police on April 26 to report a trash bag in a manhole in the home, according to an affidavit. DNA testing confirmed that Frens’ remains were in the bag, and police say she died from blunt force trauma to the head. Vandervelde was arrested for first-degree murder and several other charges and is currently being held on a $1 million bail, according to police.