DENVER – Police are investigating after the remains of a man were discovered inside two suitcases near the Sanderson Gulch Trail in the Mar Lee area of Denver.
Denver7 received messages from people living in the area about the discovery of the suitcases and asked police for more information. Matt Clark, the Division of Major Crimes of the Denver Police Department, further discussed the matter at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
News Conference: Investigation into men’s remains in suitcases near railroad found in Denver
The department confirmed that officers were called Tuesday morning after the 1700 block of S. Java Way on reports of suspicious bags along the road and found the human remains in it.
The office of the medical examiner (OME) confirmed that the remains belonged to an adult white man on Wednesday, Clark said. He said it appeared the man had “recently passed away”, but exactly when he died, the OME will determine.
Denver7, an employee of Denver Parks and Recreation, spoke to him earlier Wednesday and said one of the department employees found the suitcases Tuesday around 7:15 a.m. while clearing snow from the Sanderson Gulch Trail.
Neighbors also said the detectives they spoke to told them there were human remains in the suitcases. Candy Romero, one of the neighbors, said police went door-to-door in the area and asked if neighbors saw anything or had any surveillance video.
Clark confirmed Wednesday afternoon that police are in the process of obtaining private surveillance videos of nearby homes.
One neighbor, who spoke to Denver7 on condition that they remain anonymous, said she asked an officer who came to her door if the victim was male or female.
“He said it’s pretty hard to determine when the body parts were wrapped, but the foot looks the same whether it’s a man or a woman, so he could not actually tell me,” the woman said.
Lt.Clark said police are investigating the case as a homicide, but added that the OME will determine if the man’s death is a homicide and what his cause of death is.
Police have so far not identified any cases in missing persons in Denver related to the man’s remains, but Clark said the investigation is still in its early stages and will be expanded in the coming days. He said the afternoon conference would hopefully bring more clues into the matter.
Investigators at the DPD crime lab are also working to obtain physical evidence of the scene, suitcases or remains, Clark said.