A Colorado prison inmate has been charged with first-degree murder in the 2009 cold case murder of a member of the Colorado Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.
Charles Moises Gonzales, 46, of Saguache County also has been charged with first-degree burglary, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and additional charges in the death of Michael Damian Rust, 56.
Gonzales is serving a prison sentence for unrelated charges in Cañon City, according to a news release by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Saguache County Sheriff’s Office and the 12th Judicial District attorney’s office.
Rust disappeared in 2009 near his home in Saguache County under suspicious circumstances.
His remains were not discovered until early 2016 between Colorado 17 and Colorado 285, according to the news release written by CBI spokeswoman Susan Medina.
Authorities identified Gonzales as a possible suspect in the case. Law enforcement officials “worked tirelessly” on the case. The warrant was served Thursday.
DNA testing confirmed the identity of Rust’s remains, the news release says.
Investigators do not believe Gonzales and Rust knew each other.
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