A homicide suspect who lead police on a 30-mile, high-speed chase through Weld County died as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wound, investigators said.
Barbara Ann Blanton-Marez killed herself June 3 in Brighton at the intersection of U.S. 85 and Weld County 2 after slamming into a police vehicle.
She was the lone of her estranged husband, 50-year-old Lawrence Marez, who was found June 1.
At the time of her death, Blanton-Marez was wanted on a non-compliance warrant for walking away from Mesa County Community Corrections on May 29 where she was serving a three-year sentence for felony menacing.
On Monday, Adams County District Attorney Dave Young, in a letter to Greeley Police Department Chief Jerry Garner, announced investigative findings of the 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Team on the June 3 incident.
“The investigation revealed that no lethal force was used by law enforcement officers involved in this pursuit,” the letter said. “Rather, the evidence demonstrates that Ms. Blanton-Marez died as a result of a to the head shortly after the pursuit ended.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kierannicholson
![[prison 19] Caption: This is Cellhouse 1, Pod A, from ground level inside the Sterling Correctional Facility which is located outside of Sterling, Colorado Thursday afternoon. Photographer: LEW SHERMAN Title: FREELANCE Credit: SPECIAL TO THE POST City: Sterling State: CO Country: USA Date: 19990617 ObjectName: prison 19 Keyword: PUBDATE____1999_06_22](/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20151207__denverpostp1.jpg?w=538 "20151207__denverpost~p1.jpg")
