New homeowners find body parts in a Grand Junction home

Lights on a police vehicle.
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Lights on a police vehicle.

After days of online speculation by local residents and a well-known local blogger, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a severed human head and hands were found at a Grand Junction home.

The agency has given only limited information so far, saying in press releases it responded to a “suspicious incident” at a home on the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue on Jan. 12. The house had recently been sold and people cleaning it out found “possible human remains” inside, police said.

KDVR and Western Slope Now reported that new homeowners discovered the body parts in a freezer at the recently sold house. An autopsy completed on Jan. 17 concluded the remains were a head and hands belonging to an unknown person, police said.

The investigation is ongoing and there “is no ongoing threat” to the community, the agency said. 

In the days since the discovery, the news created a buzz as it spread throughout the western Colorado community, especially after a post by Grand Junction blogger Anne Landman. National news sources picked up the story shortly after. 

Sheriff’s officials said they’re testing the remains and working to identify them. The agency also asked anyone with information about the case to call investigator Kandyce Stuckenschneider at (970) 244-3266.