Almost three months ago, Lyla (Folsom) Zamani left her mother’s Dolores home on a road trip toward Silverton. She was never heard from again. On Friday, her remains and crashed vehicle were found 300 vertical feet down from U.S. Highway 550, near Twilight Peak.
For Durango resident Sven Brunso, Friday afternoon was just another day to take advantage of the beautiful weather as summer winds down and the fall colors burst over the mountainsides.
He’s been backcountry skiing in the area for 15 years, and thought it would be a good idea to travel to one of his favorite spots along Highway 550 to see how high the foliage had grown before the snowfall begins.
Brunso left his car at the first dirt pullout on the right side of the road after passing the summit of Coal Bank Pass, about 200 feet after the 180 degree turn. There are no trails in the area, and the steep slope covered in deep brush makes for difficult terrain. He started bushwhacking his way down the ravine when he first came upon a duffle bag.
The top was locked, but the bottom had blown out. It was heavy, but Brunso looked inside and found a purse with a camera and video camera. Curious, he started finding other scattered objects and went further down into the creek bed.
There, he saw the roof of a car buried under brush. The car was missing the front and back end, but was still on its wheels. The front window was shattered, but inside, Brunso could see more objects indicating the car belong to someone traveling: a suitcase, road maps and money.
And, the keys were still in the ignition.
“At that point, I realized I was likely the first person to see this wreck,” Brunso said. “I bushwhacked further up the creek bed, and there was a skull, what was left of it. I just composed myself, and figured out what I was going to do.”
Brunso took a few deep breaths, and climbed back up the mountainside onto Highway 550 where he could find a cellphone signal. He called 911, and was put in touch with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, which joined Colorado State Patrol on the scene.
Brunso said once you get a hundred vertical feet up the embankment, the car is no longer visible, and it isn’t likely someone would ever see it unless they were hiking the base of the ravine. So, he led emergency responders to the wreckage where crews found some files and paperwork in the glove compartment that indicted the vehicle was a Hertz rental car, signed out on June 24.
“The only reason I hiked down is because we ski there in the winter time,” Brunso said. “That car could have been there 10 years and no one would have found it.”
A forensic identification has yet to be made, but San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said the remains recovered are presumed to be those of Lyla Zamani, whose maiden name, Folsom, has long ties in the region. But her mother, Joan Folsom, said within the first two hours of hearing of the recovery efforts, she knew it was her daughter.
“She had left my house (in June), and that was the last time she was with any of us,” Folsom said. “She came from California to visit with me. We had two fantastic days together.”
Zamani, 49, spent most of her childhood in Durango, and even graduated from Durango High School. She was most recently living outside Los Angeles, working as a special education teacher.
Her mother said the wreck was ruled an accident. Zamani was used to driving four-wheel drive vehicles, but had rented a small electric car, and wasn’t entirely comfortable in it.
“And she was probably driving too fast,” Folsom said. “She always drove too fast.”
Folsom said her daughter left Dolores not too sure where she was going. Zamani traveled a lot – all over the world – and it wasn’t unheard of that she would take to the road without a plan.
One thing out of character was Zamani did not check in. Even when she was overseas, the family would track her credit-card purchases, just to know where she was and that she was safe.
“It was quite obvious something was terribly wrong,” Folsom said. “I knew she was out there. I felt like a mother in a cage because I just couldn’t reach her. This has been the most heartbreaking thing in my life.”
Folsom has lived in Southwest Colorado for 24 years, raised five children and now has more than 10 grandchildren. She described her daughter as a beautiful woman, wonderful mother of two, with a special spirit.
Folsom said more than 40 family members surrounded her. The pain is still fresh and new, but the support system has been strong. No funeral is planned just yet, but Zamani will be buried at the family plot in Rico.
“I am so thankful he found her,” she said. “I know she’s at rest now.”
The San Juan Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page that the incident is an ongoing investigation, involving the Colorado State Patrol and the Medical Examiner. Crews were extricating the wreckage on Sunday and Monday.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
