Daphne Ronette Hope, 34, vanished from Aurora, Colorado, after being last seen on August 2, 2001, near the 2000 block of Fulton Street where she lived with an on-again, off-again boyfriend, Gary Sterling. Her cousin filed a missing persons report on August 16, 2001, after Daphne missed a scheduled hair appointment. Daphne was a licensed hairstylist and a mother; authorities classified her as high risk because she was known to use drugs and to engage in prostitution.

The case suffered a prolonged delay in active investigation because of jurisdictional confusion between the Denver and Aurora police departments; it was not officially transferred to Aurora until November 2008. A later search warrant at the Fulton Street residence produced no evidentiary items, and Sterling denied knowledge of Daphne’s whereabouts. Over the years investigators have considered possibilities including a drug deal gone wrong and a possible link to a Denver-area serial killer, but there have been no confirmed sightings, no activity on her Social Security number, and no financial transactions since she disappeared.

Investigative activity resumed more recently: in 2025 an Aurora detective reopened the file, resubmitted DNA to CODIS and conducted new searches of Sterling’s former property with cadaver dogs. The case remains unsolved. Does anyone who knew Daphne, her routines, or her circle in Aurora in 2001 have information that could help reopen leads?