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Four months later, investigators are still looking for clues to find out how 17-year-old runaway Joshua Churchwell wound up dead in a partially buried suitcase near Ruby Hill Park.

Since the initial investigation after two boys made the discovery on April 1, there’s been little new information, police said today.

Investigators “have gotten to the point where they need to ask the public these questions,” said Lt. Matt Murray, spokesman for the Denver police spokesman.

Churchwell’s decomposed body yielded few clues. There were no signs of trauma that could have caused his death, and an initial autopsy was inconclusive.

The case is still being investigated as a suspicious death, not a homicide.

“Obviously there are suspicious circumstances,” Murray said. “But talking generally, a lot of things could have happened other than someone causing his death. He could have died and someone panicked and was trying to dispose of the body.”

The boys were looking for scrap metal when they found the suitcase hidden under a deflated plastic swimming pool near the park a Friday afternoon this spring. Their attention was commanded by a leg sticking out from the bag, they told authorities.

Three months earlier, Churchwell had slipped away from the Colfax Smackdown, a wrestling tournament at East High School, about 8 miles north of where he was found.

He was a member of the wrestling team at Ridge View Academy in Watkins, a campus for young people who have had problems in more traditional schools.

Because the school is part of a teen correctional program, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office had a arrest warrant charging Churchwell with escape.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward, including for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information can call 720-913-7867.

People also can call the Denver Police Department’s homicide unit at 720-913-6776.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com