The remains of a Fort Collins man missing since 2003 have been found in a woodpile in Nebraska and the man’s former roommate arrested, authorities said Monday.
The remains of Ryan Guitron were recovered in a woodpile on an abandoned farm in southwest Kimball County, Neb., the Denver office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said.
A key break in the case came earlier this month when Wyoming authorities responded to a domestic violence case in Cheyenne involving Vencil Leo Ash III, 38, who was once Guitron’s roommate.
A rifle and ammunition were taken from Ash’s home, and he was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a news release about the case, during the investigation, authorities learned that in September 2003, Ash allegedly took Guitron to the Nebraska farm in the county adjacent to Colorado and Wyoming, shot him and buried his body in the woodpile.
Investigators went to the farm April 8 and sifted through the wood, which came from old barns and farmhouses.
“He was deep in the woodpile, well covered,” said Lt. Monica Bartling of the Nebraska State Patrol, who headed the search for Guitron’s body.
Ash is in custody, and a homicide case has been presented to both federal and state prosecutors, according to the ATF.
Guitron was reported missing on Nov. 4, 2003. He was 30 years old.
According to a website maintained by Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, Guitron’s disappearance was not immediately noticed because his family was out of state visiting Guitron’s brother, who was about to deploy to Iraq.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
