Author Topic: SAGUACHE COUNTY JOHN DOE: M, 30-40, found in the Rio Grande Forest, CO - 19 October 2002  (Read 401 times)

Akoya

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8173
    • View Profile
http://s10.zetaboards.com/usedtobedoe/topic/1021462/1/

http://www.centerpostdispatch.com/v2_news_...2&story_id=1294

Authorities working on 2002 cold case

Posted: Thursday, Aug 5th, 2010
BY: TERESA L. BENNS

SAGUACHE — Nearly eight years have passed since a hunter on horseback discovered the body of a man lying in a ravine in the Rio Grande Forest just off a dirt road about 14 miles west of Saguache.

The body was partly frozen when found Oct. 12, 2002 and it has not been determined how long it may have lain in the ditch. The man was wrapped in black plastic secured with duct tape and was clothed only in a Harley Davidson T-shirt and black briefs. Fort Washington, Maryland was printed on the back of the T-shirt.

Saguache Undersheriff Dan Warwick has made a consistent effort over the years to identify the body and at one time hoped to have the face of the man professionally reconstructed and circulated for identification, but that opportunity has passed.

“This man has a family somewhere,” Warwick said. “I want this case brought back into the public eye so that we can identify this person and give him a proper burial.”

Currently the body is interred in an unmarked grave as a John Doe. Warwick believes that someone has clues that would help establish his identity based on what he was wearing and personal information found with the man.

An autopsy attributed the cause of death to two gunshot wounds to the head, fired at close range. The autopsy also determined the man was about six feet, five inches tall and weighed between 235-240 pounds.

No eye color could be determined but it is thought the man’s hair may have been brown. He was probably a white man, possibly in his late thirties. No identifying marks, tattoos or broken bones were detected during the autopsy.

Because the man had no teeth and no dentures were found at the scene, it is believed he was sleeping at the time of his death. Fingerprints taken in 2002 have never returned a hit to assist in identification.

One clue that has intrigued investigators over the years is what they found when the black plastic casing was first removed — the man had been wrapped in a handmade, antique quilt, the kind families preserve as heirlooms from generation to generation.

Authorities over the years have speculated that because the man was found not long after the last Hells Angels rally was held in Gunnison, he could have ridden to the rally from out of state and met with foul play in that time frame. But until an identification is made, it will be hard to determine whether there is any real connection to the rally.

Two Saguache County sheriffs have investigated the case only to come up empty-handed. Rural sheriff’s offices are notoriously short-staffed and deputies overworked, but patience wins the day and Warwick is a patient man. He continues to check missing persons’ lists and keep his ears open for anyone looking for a father, son, brother, uncle or grandson.

“Everyone has drawn a blank in this case,” Warwick said. “But I just can’t give up on this guy.” Warwick asks anyone with information about this case to contact him at 719-655-2544.