In the final installment of the HOMICIDE HUNTER trilogy of specials, Lt. Joe Kenda confronts one of the most unlikely killers of his career. In his signature storytelling style, Joe Kenda leads viewers through the labyrinthine case of a young mother found raped and murdered, only for her killer to finally be convicted thanks to DNA evidence three decades later. HOMICIDE HUNTER: THE MAN WITH NO FACE premieres on Wednesday, March 8 from 9-11PM ET on Investigation Discovery, streaming the same day on discovery+.
In 1988, young mother Mary Lynn Vialpando is found raped and murdered in the heart of one of the most historic neighborhoods in Colorado Springs. At the time, Kenda was a Sergeant and the Supervisor of the Homicide Unit, assigned Vialpando’s case. When every promising lead goes up in smoke, the case goes cold, leaving it as one of the few that the legendary detective couldn’t close. Although forensic evidence was new technology at the time, Kenda and his team meticulously processed and stored the evidence, putting faith in a science that wasn’t fully developed yet.
In 2018, a routine DNA database search by Colorado Springs PD matched the evidence collected by Kenda and his team at the crime scene decades ago. James A. Papol was arrested after analysis matched him to semen found on Vialpando’s body, and he pleaded guilty in May, 2021, putting an end to another of Joe Kenda’s unsolved crimes. This premium, two-hour special, HOMICIDE HUNTER: THE MAN WITH NO FACE, bridges the gap between the different generations of detectives, highlighting how Kenda and his team’s thorough investigations and precise evidence collection led to detectives being able to solve the case when science made it possible.
Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #HomicideHunter.
HOMICIDE HUNTER: THE MAN WITH NO FACE is produced by Jupiter Entertainment for Investigation Discovery.
About LT. JOE KENDA
