Man Wanted For Murder Of Routt County Woman Captured Alive
ROUTT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The man wanted for questioning in connection with a homicide case near Steamboat Springs was found just hours after his SUV was located.
Sheriff's deputies in Garfield County confirm that the white GMC Suburban that Cole J. Pollard was believed to be driving was located in a remote wilderness area. Pollard was found about 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Trappers Lake Recreational Area. He has been returned to Routt County and is expected to be charged with murder.
"He did not provide any struggle whatsoever, he's been completely cooperative so far," Routt County Sheriff Garrett Wiggins said.
The body of Patricia Richmond, 23, was found bound and face down inside a home near Steamboat Springs on Monday night.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office launched a ground search. About a dozen officers were searching for him near the 300-acre lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. The search area was about 50 miles south of the home where Richmond was found dead.
VIDEO: News Conference: Routt County Sheriff On Man's Arrest In Connection With Murder Of 23-Year-Old
Deputies considered Pollard suicidal but he was found alive. He is wanted for questioning in Richmond's death.
Richmond's body was found inside the home of her fiance's parents, Amy and Russell West. Wiggins said Pollard is a distant cousin of Richmond's fiance.
Several guns were missing from the home and found with Pollard near a campsite where the SUV was found.
Pollard is being held on burglary charges but he has been cooperating with investigators, giving them reasons to believe Richmond's murder was premeditated.
"Through some new evidence those charges have been modified to first-degree homicide and felony murder," Wiggins said.
The Routt County coroner told CBS4 Richmond wasn't shot but is still performing the autopsy and hasn't released a cause of death. Wiggins has not ruled out sexual assault.
"We wish to thank all those involved in the search efforts as well as the Trappers Lake Lodge and area campers for their cooperation in these efforts," the Garfield County Sheriff's Office said in a statement in regards to the search.
The search crew included members from the Garfield County Sheriff's Office, Routt County Sheriff's Office, BLM, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Rio Blanco County Sheriffs Office and The National Forest Service.
It's not clear when Pollard might appear in court.
