Suspects Arrested In Larimer County For Killing, Body Fire

Two suspects have been arrested for allegedly killing a man and then setting his body on fire in Larimer County.

That's according to a post on the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

According to the post, the case began on April 11 at around 5 a.m. when Larimer County Dispatch got a call about a fire under a bridge at Stevens Gulch Picnic Area (17000 block of West Highway 14, also known as Poudre Canyon Road).

The post says firefighters responding to the scene found that body of a dead person on fire.

Larimer County Sheriff's investigators were called in to process the scene. The Larimer County Coroners office, with help from the FBI identified the victim as a 49-year-old Greeley man. They found that the victim had been shot to death.

The post goes on to say ''After gathering additional information and forensic evidence, investigators identified Isaac Valdez-Salvador (DOB 11/27/92) of Fort Collins as the murder suspect. They also identified Juana Espino (DOB 03/03/88) of Evans as a co-conspirator in the murder weapon purchase and homicide. The suspects and victim were associated with each other.

Fleeing Suspect Hit By Car, Closing I-25

On April 14, deputies tried to stop Valdez-Salvador around Rocky Mountain Avenue and Highway 24 in Loveland. But the suspect fled the scene at speeds reaching over 104 miles per hour. He was eventually forced to stop his car near mile marker 245 in Mead because he had a flat tire.

He then fled on foot with a handgun, running across I-25, leaping over a center median before being hit by a northbound car. Deputies provided first aid until first responders could get there and rush him to a hospital.

The incident closed I-25 for several hours.

Although his injuries were serious, Valdez-Salvador is recovering according to the release.

Investigators think the victim was murdered in Weld County several days before his body was found on fire. Because of that, the suspects will be tried in Weld County rather than Larimer County.