Suvechha Sarkar
Kenia Yulissa Monge was a 19-year-old young woman with a promising life ahead of her. However, things took a turn when she suddenly went missing in April 2011 after a night out with friends in Denver, Colorado. Her remains were discovered around five months later, leaving her family and friends grief-stricken. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Man With a Van: Handsome Devil’ revisits the night Kenia vanished and how the investigation eventually revealed the killer. It also features interviews with her loved ones and the officials whose tireless efforts helped bring the killer to justice.
Kenia Monge’s Remains Were Discovered Five Months After She Went Missing
Kenia Yulissa Monge was born on January 26, 1992, in Honduras, bringing immense joy to the lives of her mother, Maria Lee, and father. Within the next few years, her parents parted ways, and her mother moved to Aurora, Colorado. There, Maria met Tony Lee, and they soon got married. Tony stated that during that time, Kenia was residing with her grandmother in Honduras. Her mother and stepfather eventually brought her to Colorado on November 17, 2004. Ultimately, Kenia met with her stepsiblings, among whom was her little stepsister, Kimberley. Her stepsister described her as someone with the “biggest personality.” Kenia graduated from Cherry Creek High School in June 2010. She had a dream of becoming a producer, which even led her to intern at Univision.
Kenia also had a boyfriend and later moved out of her house to live with him. However, shortly after, they broke up and she moved in with her friend. Kimberley said that Kenia loved partying with her friends on the weekend. So, on March 31, 2011, the 19-year-old went to a club in Denver, Colorado, with her friends. During the night, they saw her leaving for the bathroom. However, when she didn’t return after an hour, her friends grew concerned. On the morning of April 1, 2011, her ex-boyfriend called Kimberley since Kenia’s friends were unable to find her. Ultimately, Tony called the authorities to report her missing. What followed was an intensive search for her throughout the city.
During the missing persons investigation, officials discovered that Kenia had left her purse and phone behind. They also questioned Travis Forbes, who was reportedly one of the last individuals to see her. He claimed that he was driving her home, but later dropped her off near a gas station, where Kenia allegedly left with another man. Months passed with no news, but ultimately, the authorities received unexpected information. It led them to the remains of Kenia on September 7, 2011, in Weld County, Colorado, near Interstate 76. They found her remains buried in a shallow grave. The autopsy determined her manner of death to be a homicide, but the cause of death reportedly remained undetermined.
CCTV Footage Helped Piece Together the Final Moments of Kenia Monge
According to Kenia’s stepfather, Tony, the authorities initially took 72 hours since she was an adult. During that time, Tony reportedly received Kenia’s mobile from her friends and found out that the last person who texted her was a guy named Travis Forbes. Reports state that when Travis agreed to meet him, Tony went armed, which led Maria to call 911 to report the situation. When officials arrived at the scene and spoke to Travis, he claimed that a homeless guy was seemingly following Kenia, and to save her from the situation, he offered her a ride. Travis was with one of his friends, Edward, but he reportedly dropped Edward off at his home mid-way.
Travis was allegedly driving Kenia home when they stopped at a gas station. He claimed that she then approached an Asian guy, and Travis left her there. According to his statements, he then went to the house of his girlfriend, Kerry Humphrey, and stayed there till morning. When officials questioned her, she confirmed his statements. Detectives then checked CCTV footage of a nearby condo lobby, which led them to Chad Davis. He was reportedly the person who was speaking with Kenia that night at the club. However, he informed the police that she had left his condo after 10 minutes because she forgot her purse. The footage captured Kenia, who seemed wobbly, speaking with an older homeless guy in the lobby. Following that, it captured the arrival of Travis’ car.
A DNA Match From a Different Case Helped Solve Kenia Monge’s Murder
When Travis’ vehicle was searched, investigators noticed a strong odor of bleach. Some of the witnesses informed the police that he had set a fire on April 1, 2011, in a drum behind the bakery he rented. The CCTV footage of the bakery revealed him entering the premises with a big cooler that was taped shut. He was seen placing it in the refrigerator, wearing long gloves. Officials reportedly noticed that he had turned off the surveillance cameras for a period. Experts tested the refrigerator and drum for DNA, but were unable to find any. Around one month later, on May 5, 2011, he was arrested for stealing a friend’s car. During the questioning, he denied having any involvement with Kenia’s disappearance but willingly gave his DNA swab.
On July 4, 2011, a similar case happened in Fort Collins, Colorado, where a woman named Lydia Tillman was rushed to the hospital after she narrowly escaped her burning house. Detectives reportedly discovered that she was followed to her apartment, where she was sexually assaulted, attacked, and then her house was set on fire. Experts obtained DNA from her nails, which was then compared with Travis’ DNA. When it turned out to be a match, he was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, arson, and rape. On September 8, 2011, Travis was formally charged with first-degree murder of Kenia.
Travis Forbes is Currently Serving His Sentence at a Colorado Prison Facility
To avoid his name being registered as a sex offender, Travis took a plea deal. As per the deal, he confessed that when Kenia passed out in his car, he allegedly sexually assaulted her. He claimed that when she became conscious in the middle, he allegedly strangled her, leading to her death. He also alleged that the murder was not premeditated and confessed that Kerry had lied to the officials about his alibi for that fateful night. Furthermore, Travis also agreed to lead the authorities to the remains of Kenia to avoid the death penalty.
Later on, Lydia reportedly communicated with the police to identify Travis as her attacker. Ultimately, on September 26, 2011, he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Kenia and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Just one day later, he pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder of Lydia. On October 21, 2011, he was sentenced to 48 years in prison for the charge, along with a mandatory 5-year parole term, which is to be served consecutively. As of writing, Travis is incarcerated at Fremont Correctional Facility in Florence, Colorado.
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