Body of Steamboat man, 26, found south of Yampa; sheriff rules death a homicide

Elliot Stahl
Courtesy Photo

Steamboat Springs law enforcement has opened a homicide investigation after a body was discovered by a fisherman south of Yampa on Monday afternoon.

The body of Elliot Stahl, a 26-year-old Steamboat Springs resident,
was found in the Routt National Forest off U.S. Forest Service Road 900,
according to Routt County Sheriff Garrett Wiggins. Forest Service Road
900 is the road leading to Stillwater Reservoir in the Flat Tops.

The sheriff said there was a substantial amount of blood found on Stahl’s body and his clothing.

Wiggins
did not disclose the manner of death, citing concerns it would hamper
the investigation. Forensic pathologists are awaiting a toxicology
report to determine a cause of death.

Investigators have not yet
identified a motive for the murder. Wiggins said Stahl did not have a
“legitimate job” and had been in and out of jail on various drug-related
charges. 

Wiggins said investigators have identified several
suspects but have not made any arrests. He is not sure how many people
were involved in the murder. 

“Our search is a little narrower every day,” Wiggins said. “There were a lot of people (Stahl) hung out with in the same mindset, the same culture and who have substantial criminal histories.”

ahl was last seen at a gas station in Craig at around 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, according to Wiggins. 

Law
enforcement wants to hear from anyone with information about Stahl’s
death. Call Routt County Dispatch at 970-879-1090 or, to remain
anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 970-870-6226. Information can also be
shared via text by texting NABM, followed by the tip, to 274637.

Law
enforcement is offering up to a $2,500 reward for information leading
to the identification of the suspect or suspects in Stahl’s murder. 

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Steamboat Springs Police Department are assisting in the investigation.

“We have as many people as we can on this thing right now,” Wiggins said. 

Routt County’s last murder occurred June 2015 in North Routt.

via:: Sky-Hi News