A 70-year-old man found dead outside his Aspen Park garage Saturday was not killed by a mountain lion as neighbors speculated, officials say.
Patrick Housand of 25786 Stansbery St. is the victim of a homicide, not an animal mauling, said Jacki Tallman, spokeswoman of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“This is a murder, nothing less,” Tallman said Monday. “It’s tragic.”
She said the state Division of Wildlife was called to the homicide scene to investigate all possibilities.
Housand’s injuries are distinctive and could not have been caused by an animal, she said.
Investigators are not releasing what caused Housand’s death or saying whether anything was taken from him or his home, Tallman said.
Deputies answered a call at 4:23 a.m. Saturday from Housand’s wife, who said she found her husband lying near the garage of their home, Tallman said.
Investigators do not have any suspects, Tallman said.
“We have more questions than we have answers,” she said.
