A hiker located a human skull during an early morning walk

Nederland, Colo. - Just before 8:45 a.m. this morning, the Sheriff's Communications Center received a call from a hiker who believed he had discovered human remains. The man had been walking with his dog in the Mud Lake Open Space property, which is located at 2034 County Road 126 near Nederland, when he located what he believed to be a skull.

Deputies and investigators from the Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, along with medical investigators from the Boulder County Coroner's Office. The hiker led emergency personnel back to the area where he had located the remains, whereupon investigators confirmed the remains were a human skull.

Additional searches of the area were undertaken with the assistance of the Front Range Rescue Dogs, but no additional remains were located. The searches were complicated by several inches of snow that fell to the ground today, so additional searches will take place once the snow clears.

No additional items or evidence were located in today's searches that would provide clues as to the identity of the decedent, including their approximate age or gender. The Boulder County Coroner's Office is charged with making formal identification of the decedent, as well as determining the cause and manner of death. Additional information related to the decedent, including any medical findings when the partial remains are examined, will be released by the Coroner's Office.

Anyone with information they believe may assist in the investigation is asked to contact Detective Mark Spurgeon at (303) 441-3615.

The case number associated with this investigation is 17-5782.

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/s/Cmdr. Mike Wagner
Public Information Officer