A woman found dead at a Summit County campsite was a longtime squatter, originally from Oklahoma, who had lived year-round in her tent for several years, Summit County officials said today.
The woman’s body was discovered Saturday afternoon after her injured boyfriend was found by a hiker earlier that day about a quarter-mile from the couple’s campsite.
The boyfriend had been stabbed in the right thigh by the woman the night before. After the domestic altercation, the woman, Johanna Briscoe, 29, helped him bandage the wound, said Paulette Horr, spokeswoman for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. He then fell asleep and found Briscoe dead when he awoke, Horr said.
“They had been together and living in the woods for a couple of years,” said Horr, who added that both had been drinking when the stabbing occurred.
Joanne Richardson, the Summit County coroner, said today that the death was not suspicious and foul play doesn’t appear to be involved.
Richardson said there were no visible marks on the woman and that an autopsy didn’t indicate what killed Briscoe. The cause of death won’t be ruled on until the results of toxicology tests are received later this month, she added.
Richardson said the woman was described by her family as a “free spirit.”
“She wanted to be alone and by herself,” Richardson said. “She was a squatter in the woods and lived in her tent, even during the winter.”
The woman also had a reputation in Summit County, the coroner added.
“She lost her temper easily when drunk,” Richardson said.
Her incoherent boyfriend was found near the North Fuller Placer trailhead Saturday morning by a hiker.
Horr said that the man, whose age and identity aren’t being released because he is a domestic-violence victim, was in no shape to help rescuers find the campsite. She said that about 15 searchers looked for the campsite for several hours before finding it about a quarter-mile away. It was located in a heavily wooded and isolated area.
Investigators said that evidence at the site corroborated the boyfriend’s story, including blood on Briscoe’s hand.
Horr said there are a surprising number of year-round squatters in the mountains of Colorado. She said most camp on U.S. forest land but that, occasionally, Summit County officers find them elsewhere.
She added that the investigation is ongoing and won’t be completed until the toxicology reports are received. No charges have been filed.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
