DENVER: Police are investigating after discovering the remains of a man inside two suitcases near Sanderson Gulch Trail in Denver’s Mar Lee neighborhood.
Denver7 received messages from people living nearby about the discovery of the suitcases and had been asking the police for more information. Denver Police Department Senior Crime Division Lieutenant Matt Clark spoke more about the case at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Press Conference: Investigation Underway After Man Remains in Suitcases Near Denver Trail
The department confirmed that officers were called Tuesday morning to the 1700 block of S. Java Way to report suspicious bags on the side of the road and found human remains inside.
The forensic doctor’s office (OME) confirmed the remains belonged to an adult white man on Wednesday, Clark said. He said it appeared the man was “recently dead”, although the OME will determine exactly when he died.
A Denver Parks and Recreation employee, Denver7, spoke Wednesday before one of the department’s employees found the suitcases around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday while clearing snow from the Sanderson Gulch Trail.
Neighbors also said the detectives they spoke to had told them there were human remains in their suitcases. Candy Romero, one of the neighbors, said police went from door to door in the area asking if the neighbors saw anything or had any surveillance video.
Clark confirmed Wednesday afternoon that police were working to obtain private surveillance video of nearby homes.
A neighbor, who spoke to Denver7 on the condition that they remain anonymous, said she had asked an agent who came to her door if the victim was male or female.
“He mentioned that it’s pretty hard to know when body parts are wrapped up, but the foot looks the same whether it’s a male or a female, so he basically couldn’t tell me,” he said. the woman.
Lieutenant Clark said police are investigating the case as a homicide, but added that the OME would decide if the man’s death was a homicide and what was its cause.
Police have so far not identified any cases of missing people in Denver that could be linked to the man’s remains, but Clark said the investigation was still in its infancy and would be extended in the coming days. He said the afternoon press conference would be expected to bring more benefits in the case.
Investigators at the DPD criminal lab are also working to obtain physical evidence of the scene, suitcases or wreckage, Clark said.