Investigators determined the decedent is related to Frederick's weekend homicide investigation

Nederland, Colo. - On July 5, 2019, just after 8:00 p.m., deputies were dispatched on the report of a single-vehicle traffic crash near Mud Lake in the 39,000 block of the Peak to Peak Highway (Highway 72), just north of Nederland. As deputies and emergency personnel responded, dispatchers received information that a passerby was attempting to resuscitate the driver by performing CPR, and that the driver appeared to have suffered a significant head injury. The driver was unable to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene.

After arriving, deputies determined that the vehicle involved was a vehicle of interest in a homicide investigation undertaken by the Frederick (Colo.) Police Department earlier that same day.

The preliminary investigation into the death suggests that the driver and sole occupant–a man later identified by the Boulder County Coroner's Office as Kevin Wayne Butler, 50, of Frederick–suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that his injuries were not the result of what was originally reported as a traffic accident. It is believed the vehicle rolled forward after Butler shot himself and came to rest after striking a tree at a low speed.

The Boulder County Coroner's Office is responsible for determining the cause and manner of Butler's death. Investigators from both the sheriff's office and coroner's office are continuing to assist Frederick Police Department in their investigation as needed.

The case number associated with this investigation is 19-3754.

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/s/ Cmdr. Mike Wagner
Public Information Officer