Western death a mystery, investigation ongoing

Father hires attorney

The Gunnison Police Department has not closed the investigation into the recent death of a Western State Colorado University student.
The body of Dammion Heard, a freshman wrestler from Fort Worth, Texas was found on April 2 on Bureau of Land Management land eight miles east of Gunnison. His body was found hanging from a tree, with his car nearby. Given the circumstances, most concluded Heard had committed suicide. But the police department has not come to any formal conclusion.

According to a statement from the Gunnison Police Department, “The case is open and the investigation is active. We are awaiting the results of forensic testing and have not received autopsy results yet. The police department will send out information as it becomes available.”
Heard’s father, Gary, who does not believe his son committed suicide,  has come to the area and is hiring investigators to dig into his son’s death. According to an April 27 article in the Denver Post, Gary Heard “has hired one of Colorado’s most high-profile attorneys, Pamela Mackey, to handle lawsuits he intends to file and to use her own team of investigators. He has established a reward of $25,600 for any information that might lead to an arrest and conviction in his son’s death.”
Frank Vader, Gunnison County coroner, made it clear this week that there has been no official determination of the cause or manner of Heard’s death. “We are waiting on the toxicology reports,” he said. “We hope to have the results back within the next two or three weeks.”