A stuck, damaged vehicle with an owner in Durango and a body found at a well site could be connected, according to the reported released by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
The report detailing an investigation surrounding the body of a 71-year-old man was released to the Tri-City Record on April 4, two weeks after an Inspection of Public Records Act request was submitted March 21.
The man’s name was withheld pending notification of his family. the Sheriff’s Office said it was “still confirming contact with next of kin” and delayed release of the redacted report, according to records clerk Jennifer Coponiti.
The man was found by employees of an unnamed oil and gas company at 8:04 a.m. March 20 at the site near Navajo Dam. It was not known how long the man had been there. However, Mark McDonald, an employee of the company, told sheriff’s investigators “the body was not there” when employees last checked the site at 9 a.m. March 11.
Investigators also found an abandoned “dark blue” or “black Chevrolet” on County Road 4600. Keys were not in the ignition, and a jacket was on the front passenger seat. Investigators also noted damage “to both the front and back bumper, and it appeared the vehicle was stuck,” the report states.
“Car keys were located on the body of (redacted) and would go with” the Office of the Medical Investigator “as part of their investigative process,” the report said.
Dispatch provided investigators with the name of the registered owner, but it was redacted from the report.
The registered owner was from Durango, and the Durango Police Department was contacted to “possibly get a photo identification for detectives to see if the vehicle was related to the deceased man,” according to the report.
Durango Police provided a photo of the registered owner.
Investigators noted in the report that “no suspicious circumstances were observed upon initial investigation.”
There also was a notation in the report that “contact was made with the party that reported an attempt to locate (redacted). Further information regarding next of kin is in the possession of detectives.”
The investigation remains open, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
