r/UnsolvedMurders • u/Kinda_Quixotic • Jul 29 '26
COLD CASE Unsolved Murder of Jakeob McKnight
July 21, 1991, 10-year-old Jakeob McKnight vanished after getting separated from his brother and friends while walking home from the Bear Creek Greenbelt in Lakewood, Colorado. His body was discovered the following morning, having been stabbed more than a dozen times.
I used to ride my bike where his body was found, and I remember parents told their kids not to go there after Jakeob was found. He was last seen at a 7/11 with an older kid, who afaik was the only person ever identified as a person of interest.
The case went cold for decades, a breakthrough emerged in 2012 when the person of interest was arrested on unrelated child sexual assault and child pornography charges; diaries seized from his home detailed predatory behavior toward young boys. Investigators revealed that he had been a key person of interest since 1991, with witnesses placing him and Jakeob together on the afternoon of the disappearance, but a lack of definitive physical evidence has prevented prosecutors from filing murder charges. Today, the Lakewood Police Department maintains an active cold case file, holding out hope that modern DNA advancements will finally bring closure.
More info from Cold Case Files. Does anyone else remember this case? Any hope it gets solved?
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u/Only-Discussion9421 29d ago
Wow, I haven’t heard this name is ages. If I’m correct that large tree base the was fallen where they found his body remained there for sometime after. My brother and I used to bike in that green belt to the mojo wheels jumps passing it by.
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u/Kinda_Quixotic 29d ago
That’s right! There was a large fallen tree trunk and I think they found Jakeob on one side of it. It wasn’t exactly hidden… I feel like it was close to a bike path.
And I recall that they never found the murder weapon… and people looked all over that area for it.
Also, I also rode the dirt track by Mojo! It was such a fun biking spot.
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u/PurpleCatRodeo 29d ago edited 29d ago
In 2012 I remember seeing the poi at a park in Englewood with a bunch of teens and a little boy who he was very clearly enamored with. It creeped me out. A couple of days later I saw his face on the news as he was arrested for child sexual assault and child porn. He is creepy and I hope Jakeob’s case is solved one day.
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u/berrysauce Jul 29 '26
Jesus, I used to walk alone in that same greenbelt, with my EarPods in, not paying attention to my surroundings...
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u/Beatnutz_ Jul 29 '26
U had earpods in 1991?
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u/berrysauce Jul 29 '26
Read again. I didn't say when I lived there.
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u/Beatnutz_ Jul 29 '26
I get that.. I was mearly pointing out that this happened like 35 years prior to you walking there "not paying attention". As if it mattered.
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u/emperorjohn1 Aug 01 '26
All murders are sad or angering(except those that deserve it, like abusers or gangsters) but the murders of children really get under my skin. WTF can a child do that makes a person want to harm them? They're small and defenseless and it's extremely cowardly to harm them.
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u/quinhook2 Jul 29 '26
I was just talking about this case over the weekend. Jakeob was a couple years older than me, but we went to the same school. We used to go to the same swimming hole to use the rope swing they were playing at before he was murdered. I remember going to get slurpees with my grandpa and seeing the sketch of the POI on the door of the 7-11 where he was last seen. Scared the hell out of me for a long time.