Twenty five years after the body of Billy Trimbach was found near a frontage road in Morgan County, deputies believe there is still a killer on the loose – and that may person could still be in rural Colorado.
This cold case has baffled authorities for decades. Trimbach’s wife had taken out a large insurance policy just before his death (his name was forged on the application) – leading investigators to believe she may have taken out a hit on her husband.
They never got a definitive answer though: Cindy Trimbach died of AIDS-related complications in 1994. The pair had been living with their infant daughter and Cindy Trimbach’s 9-year-old son in northeastern Weld County before Billy’s death after moving there from Nevada.
Shortly thereafter, Cindy Trimbach relocated to Butte Montana, where she told officials her son had seen his father murdered. A year after Billy Trimbach’s death, his stepson brought a gun to school and opened fire on a playground, killing another child and prompting him to be placed in psychiatric care.
This chain of events began on Feb. 14, 1993.
Billy Trimbach’s body was found feet away from the I-76 Frontage Road west of Wiggins. He had been shot to death, and investigators say his body had been drug from a vehicle.
He had been reported missing to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office that same day. Billy’s stepson told investigators he had seen him leaving with an unknown man the night of his disappearance, but years later, claimed he was lying and thought his mother was responsible for his stepdad’s death.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office says Cindy Trimbach admitted to driving by the remote area where her husband’s body was found, even though it was 45 miles from their home.
Small amounts of dried blood that belonged to Billy were found in her Chevrolet Suburban, according to deputies, and items found near the dump site matched things that were known to be in her vehicle.
Billy Trimbach’s 9 mm handgun went missing from his home – and it was this same caliber weapon that killed him.
There were clues, but the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office says the case remained cold until 1997, when a man told investigators he knew Billy was killed – possibly to settle a drug debt.
Later, deputies say they came to believe Billy was killed – perhaps accidentally – in an attempt to intimidate him at a home outside of Wiggins.
Two people may have been directly responsible for his death, and planned to dump his body in Jackson Lake, but had to leave him on the side of the road instead due to mechanical issues.
Investigators say they also believe Cindy may have arranged a “hit” for insurance money and played a role in dumping his body.
A suspect in the case was prepared to confess, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, but instead took his own life in 1998.
In a news release about the case on Tuesday afternoon, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office wrote:
“Investigators have been hampered in this case due to some of the bizarre circumstances in this case, lack of evidence, plus, many people involved were/are methamphetamine users and their information was either discredited by others or could not otherwise be corroborated.”
Investigators still believe that there may be a killer on the loose – or at least people with knowledge about Billy’s murder.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office at 970-867-2461 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
