The most likely cause of death of the Pagosa Springs man whose remains were found in a remote area of the San Juan Mountains last month was a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said Thursday.
The remains of Andrew Donald Chacon, 29, were discovered Aug. 23 along Mill Creek Road, about six to eight miles from Colorado Highway 84, east of Pagosa Springs.
Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Tonya Hamilton said an autopsy found he likely died from a gunshot to the head, but until more of Chacon’s remains are found, investigators can’t determine that with 100 percent certainty.
“We found a few other remains, but not very much,” Hamilton said. “We will be having cadaver teams come out to search the rest of the area to hopefully find what we missed with the naked eye.”
Hamilton said it’s too early to say whether the gunshot wound was self-inflicted or a result of foul play, and that the investigation is ongoing. She said investigators believe the remains were in the forest for at least a year.
Hamilton said Chacon’s family suspected the 29-year old was missing, not having heard from him in some time, but they had not officially reported him as a missing person.
Hamilton said “there was more than one occasion when (Chacon) was an inmate in our facilities,” but she said there doesn’t seem to be a link between his prior convictions and his death. Hamilton did not have information on the previous charges immediately available.
Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call Detective Sgt. Warren Brown at 264-8499.