Costilla County deputies say a woman found dead earlier this year was likely mauled by dogs in an area with “a history of domestic dogs running loose for years, some of which have been feral.”
Deputies wrote in a social media post Thursday that the body discovered Jan. 23 in the Sangre De Cristo Ranches community southeast of Fort Garland has been identified by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office as that of Cindy Denholm, 68.
The Costilla County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are investigating the incident. Investigators believe bite wounds suffered by Denholm were inflicted by domestic dogs rather than wild animals.
Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez said in the post that Denholm’s wounds were swabbed, and the sheriff’s office is partnering with CBI to test DNA found on the swabs.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
