A Denver father’s interview revealed how a suspicious text from a man uncovered the identity of the murderer of his daughter.

19-year-old Kenia Monge disappeared on March 31, 2011. Monge was out partying with her friends at the 24K Lounge in lower downtown Denver. However, at some point, she got separated from her friends, with her cellphone and other belongings still with her friends.

A worried Anthony Lee, Monge’s stepfather, tried to go to the police station to file a missing person report. However, according to CBS News, he was met with disappointment as the family was told to wait 72 hours following the time of disappearance to file a report. After growing weary of the police, Lee planned to take matters into his own hands. 

He tracked down Monge’s friends and got hold of her phone. It was at this time that a surprising development took place. While going through the phone, Lee found a suspicious text from a man called Travis. The text read: “Hey, this is Travis. The guy who gave you a ride last night – white creepy van. Did you get home okay?”

The family went into panic mode as Lee began to dig deeper into who Travis was. After getting on a call with Travis, it was revealed that 31-year-old Travis found Monge outside the club and gave her a lift home. However, Travis claimed that Kenia changed her mind midway and told him to stop at the gas station.

She then left with a man named Dan. Travis claimed he had no idea what happened to Monge after that. However, police and Lee weren’t convinced by the narrative and planned to dig deeper. The authorities tracked a weird, strong smell of bleach coming from his van. Six months following the incident, police unearthed the remains of Kenia Monge in what authorities described as a shallow grave.

After the autopsy report revealed Travis’ DNA from Monge’s remains, authorities apprehended him. It was here that Travis revealed the real story and what really happened to Kenia Monge that night. According to Travis’ confession, the 31-year-old sexually assaulted Monge after she fell asleep in his van.

After Monge woke up, she got into a heated argument with Travis, which led to him choking her to death. Travis Forbes was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Kenia Monge. “It was a mistake,” a crying Forbes told the court as he revealed how the murder took place. “I didn’t plan it. I took a life.” Since then, Lee and Monge’s friends have appeared in various documentaries. They revealed how a strange text mentioning a “creepy white van” changed the course of the case.