Man Found Dead Inside His SUV Investigated As Murder

By Tom Mustin

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Investigators in Jefferson County are looking at the death of a man found dead inside his SUV as murder.

"I feel really bad for him and I feel really bad for his family," Sara Berry described the horrifying moment when she looked inside a car parked in front of her home in Jefferson County and saw a body inside.

"I saw his boots and his legs. He was definitely dead," Berry told CBS4's Tom Mustin.

Monday afternoon, neighbors on West Maplewood Drive found the body of Samuel Addison Stewart, known to family and friends as Addison, inside his Ford Explorer.

"It looked like he had been pulled into the back seat or he was trying to crawl into the back seat. His pants were pulled kind of halfway down, like he was struggling," said neighbor Jeff Ore.

Ore says his neighbor asked him to look inside the vehicle after it had been parked in the neighborhood for several hours.

"There was a foot up across the dash and I followed the leg around. He was kind of in the fetal position. He had fluids in his mouth and his nose," said Ore.

Ore called 911. The Jeffco Sheriff's Office says Stewart, 26, was murdered.

"We can't go into too much detail about how he was killed but it was not self-inflicted, so it is a homicide investigation," said Jeffco Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jenny Fulton.

Stewart lives a few blocks away from where his body was found. He had a previous arrest for possession of dangerous drugs.

"He does have a criminal history," said Fulton.

The Jeffco Sheriff's Office is not saying how Stewart died or if he knew his killer. They say the public is not in any danger, but would not elaborate why.

And with an apparent killer on the loose, Ore says he and his neighbors refuse to live in fear, "You either cower in fear or you live. You take your chances."

Stewart's family would not speak on camera but told Mustin they have no idea what happened, or why.

The Jeffco Sheriff's Office has no leads and no suspects in the case.

Additional Information From Jeffco Sheriff:

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call the Sheriff's Office tip line at 303-271-5612 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.