Woman found dead in desert in 1981, NV cops say. Now boyfriend ID’d as suspect
A woman’s 1981 cold case slaying has been closed after Nevada police say they’ve identified her boyfriend as the sole suspect.
Walter Bradley DeMint, who died in 2007, was identified as a suspect in Vicki Radig’s killing using DNA testing, the Henderson Police Department said in an April 21 news release.
When Radig, 20, did not come home after work in March 1981, a family member reported her missing, police said.
The last time she was seen, Radig had “gone out with her boyfriend,” DeMint, police said.
DeMint told the family the two had an argument, “and she ran off,” police said.
Then, two days later, her body was found in a desert near a highway, police said.
Investigators determined she “died from blunt and sharp force trauma” and ruled her death a homicide, police said.
From the start of the investigation, officials considered DeMint to be a person of interest, police said.
“Throughout the investigation, DeMint’s account of events was inconsistent with his original statement,” police said.
However, there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against DeMint, police said.
Decades later, in 2021, police said their cold case unit looked to identify a suspect in Radig’s killing using DNA testing.
When investigators tested “DNA found on swabs taken from Radig,” they identified one DNA contributor as DeMint, according to police.
Over the next two years, investigators tested more items, finding only DNA from DeMint and Radig, police said.
After detectives presented the case to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, they “concurred Walter Bradley DeMint is the only viable suspect identified in this case,” police said.
If DeMint were still living, police said he would potentially be charged with one count of open murder.
Henderson is about a 20-mile drive southeast from Las Vegas.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Woman found dead in desert in 1981, NV cops say. Now boyfriend ID’d as suspect."
