Suspect wanted in connection with car thefts found dead in Thornton

The suspect the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office was searching for in connection to a series of alleged vehicle thefts in Fort Collins and Loveland several weeks ago has been identified as the person found dead in a field in north Thornton on Feb. 16.

The Sheriff’s Office announced Feb. 10 they were searching for 37-year-old Patrick Gunter on charges of aggravated motor vehicle theft and vehicular eluding on as well as on an active warrant, according to previously release information. Gunter was believed to have been involved in a vehicle theft incident Feb. 8 where he allegedly eluded officers before abandoning the stolen vehicle on railroad tracks. Later on, another truck was reported stolen and later found abandoned.

Later that night, LETA

911 sent out an alert warning Loveland residents in the area of Garfield Avenue and 50th Street to remain indoors; this event was later tied to the thefts in Fort Collins earlier in the day.

Around one week later, the Thornton Police Department tweeted a press release regarding an incident in north Thornton. About 6:30 a.m. Feb. 16, Thornton police received a call to check the well-being of a person in the open field in the 500 block of East 168th Avenue in Thornton, according to a press release posted to the department’s Twitter page.

On arrival, according to the release, officers discovered a man lying on the ground with gunshot wounds; he was later pronounced dead on scene.

The Adams and Broomfield Counties Coroners Office announced in a release Monday that Gunter was the man found dead in the field. The release did not include information on the cause or manner of death, which is listed as under investigation.

— Staff and Denver Post

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