It’s now been five years since a discovery near tiny tourist enclave Glenwood Springs terrified residents.
The mystery began on a warm June 12, 2009 day in an apple orchard about five miles west of Glenwood Springs.
A teen-age boy who worked for the orchard owned by Kirstie Steiner found something wrapped in plastic buried under a stack of branches.
A dismembered female body was inside at least one tattered plastic bag.
The head had light brown hair with blonde highlights.
It was obvious that animals had been tearing at the bag to get at the remains.
The location where someone had dumped the body was about 20 feet off of Canyon Creek Road and about a quarter mile from Interstate 70.
A criminal investigation was begun. The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office scoured the orchard.
A long line of investigators walked through the orchard searching for clues.
Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario told reporters at the time that they had no record of any missing girls that could fit the description of the murder victim.
The body was so small that speculation was that the remains were those of a pre-adolescent child.
The discovery of a dismembered body sent shock waves through the small community.
Rumors were being reported by regional newspapers that the girl’s torso was not found and that body parts were discovered in multiple bags.
Vallario tried to calm fears. That Friday evening he said that “people should not necessarily be afraid. We do not have any reason to believe we have a maniac running around killing people.”