Henderson closes 1981 homicide case; boyfriend ‘only viable suspect’

The Henderson Police Department announced Monday that it had closed a cold case involving the homicide of a 20-year-old woman in 1981.

According to police, in March 1981, a relative of Vicki Radig reported her missing after she did not return home from work.

Radig had reportedly gone out with her boyfriend, identified as Walter Bradley DeMint, and had not been seen since, police said.

DeMint told family members that he and Radig had an argument, and she ran off.

Two days later, Radig’s body was discovered in a desert area near the 900 block of Boulder Highway, authorities said.

She died from blunt and sharp force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide, police said in a news release.

According to police, from the onset of the investigation, DeMint was considered a person of interest in the case.

Throughout the investigation, DeMint’s account of events was inconsistent with his original statement. But at the time, investigators did not have sufficient evidence to support criminal charges, police said.

In 2021, the Police Department’s cold case homicide unit submitted for forensic testing of DNA found on swabs taken from Radig as part of the investigation. DeMint was identified as a DNA contributor, the release stated.

In 2022 and 2023, police said all additional items were submitted for forensic testing and indicated no DNA profiles were attributable to any individuals other than DeMint or Radig.

The Clark County district attorney’s office reviewed the case and concurred that DeMint was the “only viable suspect identified in the case.”

DeMint died in 2007, police said. Had he been alive today, the department said, he could have faced one count of open murder.

“Radig’s family has been notified of these developments and continues to be supported in this case,” Henderson police said.