Investigators said the search was a success. Items of interest were recovered. They will be tested and added to other evidence collected during the 3 ½ year investigation.
An examination of the search results will help determine the next steps Investigators will take to move the case forward.
From the LaPlata Co. Sheriff's Office:
On Monday, La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from at least 16 other groups, concluded a five day follow up search on the upper reaches of Middle Mountain in northeast La Plata County for clues related to the murder of Dylan Redwine in November of 2012. Some of Dylan’s remains and other evidence were recovered in earlier searches.
A total of 69 people took part in this search which began Thursday July 7th and ended Monday July 11th . Searchers put in approximately1088 manhours, often in rugged terrain above 10,000’ altitude. New areas as well as areas previously searched were covered and accumulatively added up to an area of about 1 mile by 1 mile. Most of the people who searched came at their own expense, with several traveling hundreds of miles.
Investigators said the search was a success. Items of interest were recovered. They will be tested and added to other evidence collected during the 3 ½ year investigation.
An examination of the search results will help determine the next steps Investigators will take to move the case forward.
Searchers who took part in this latest effort were from: La Plata County Sheriff’s Office; Denver Police Dept; Mesa County Search & Rescue; Sandia (New Mexico) Search Dogs; Boulder Office of District Attorney; Immigration & Customs Enforcement; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Grand Junction Police Dept; Southern Ute Rangers; Fort Lewis College; Garfield County Sheriff’s Office; Upper Pine Fire Dept; La Plata Search & Rescue; La Plata Mounted Patrol; Mounted Rangers; other subject matter experts.
For 15 years, Lauren Laws has dedicated her career to Aztec Schools, beginning as a Special Education teacher in 2008. In 2010 she transitioned to General Education, where she spent six years in the classroom working with 4th and 5th graders at Park Avenue Elementary while completing work on her Master's Degree. During her tenure at Park Avenue Elementary, she also served a Lead Teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal. Lauren has spent the past three years serving as the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the district.
Brice Current was a former narcotics agent with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in Aztec, NM. He was hired as Durango's Deputy Police Chief in 2019.
The FMS Board of Education authorized school security personnel to carry firearms on school premises during their January 9, 2024, meeting. The move paved the way for the hiring of Armed Campus Safety Monitors (ACSMs), former certified law enforcement officers tasked with providing an additional layer of protection for students and staff during emergencies.
Farmington Officials gathered with representatives from the NM Department of Transportation and San Juan County to break ground on the long-anticipated Pinon Hills Boulevard Extension Project. San Juan County announced that design work on their section of the project is 90% completed.
Kevin Summers will be returning to the Bloomfield School District as Superintendent, after the retirement of Dr. Kim Mizell at the end of the current school year. Summers' hire makes an opening in the Superintendent's Office in Aztec where he has served for the past three years.
Fort Lewis College President Tom Stritikus is stepping down to become the President at Occidental College, a four-year liberal arts college in Los Angeles, Calif. Steven Schwartz, Fort Lewis College’s Vice President for Finance and Administration, will serve as interim president effective May 6.
He will leave after this year’s Spring Commencement scheduled for Saturday, May 4.