Human remains found east of Gunnison yet to be identified

It could be a month

By Mark Reaman

The identity of human remains found last week on ranchland east of Gunnison off of County Road 76 between Parlin and Pitkin remains a mystery. Gunnison County sheriff Rick Besecker said it could be as long as month before a positive ID is made through DNA or dental record analysis.

Besecker said a search warrant and tip led law enforcement officials to the remains last Monday. Besecker said then that the remains were believed to be that of 29-year-old Jacob Millison, who lived in the area and was reported missing in 2015.

“We have not been able to identify the remains as of yet,” Besecker said Tuesday. “We are pursuing dental comparisons and DNA analysis and that is being sent to an out-of-state lab.”

Law enforcement officials from the Gunnison sheriff’s department, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and the Gunnison county coroner’s office are still working on the case. “We are progressing through the case and following up the leads we have,” said Besecker. “But the ID is a significant component of the case.”

Besecker did confirm that there are “suspicious circumstances surrounding the case but no one has been arrested and charged with a crime and the investigation is ongoing.

“This is an unusual case for Gunnison County,” Besecker admitted, “but we are all actively working on it and when we get an ID on the victim I think we can then share significant information on the case.”

Investigators are keeping the exact location of the discovery vague during the investigation.