The Durango Herald
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A search for a former Durango man who has been missing for two weeks took an unusual turn Saturday when the family of the missing man located another man’s body a short distance from their son’s abandoned vehicle.
Irvin Rangel, 22, was last seen Jan. 24 leaving Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort in a black 2001 Lincoln Navigator. The vehicle was found abandoned in a remote location about four miles south of Farmington. The car door was open, and blood was found inside the vehicle, according the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
Rangel lived in Durango for about 11 years before moving to San Juan County (N.M.) about six months ago, said his mother, Patricia Rangel.
The family formed a search party Saturday to look for Rangel in the area of his abandoned vehicle, said Detective Kevin Burns, with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Department.
They found another man’s body about a half-mile south of the truck, Burns said.
The body had not been positively identified as of Monday, he said.
Juanita DeCoteau, a woman who identified herself as the dead man’s sister, identified him as Michael Leonard DeCoteau, 29, of Wenatchee, Wash.
She said Rangel and DeCoteau have been friends for 10 years and had lived together in the area.
She said her brother was shot in the back.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Department did not return a phone call Monday seeking more information.
The agency conducted a search with about 80 people Sunday, but no new leads were found, Burns said.
Authorities are unsure if Rangel is the victim of a crime or if he had a role in DeCoteau’s death.
“That’s the ultimate question,” Burns said. “We still don’t know who the blood comes back to in the vehicle, and we don’t know where Irvin is at.
“We would like to hope that he is somewhere safe – and that would be totally awesome for the family, but we just don’t know.”
Rangel’s family is offering a $30,000 reward for anyone who can identify Rangel’s whereabouts, said Patricia Rangel. She wants to see his body – dead or alive – before issuing the reward.
“The only thing important for me right now is finding my son,” she said. “I don’t have any clue what happened. I just have hope. I don’t want to lose my hope and my faith.”
