A man found dead in McElmo Canyon last month has been identified by the Montezuma County coroner, who said the death is not suspicious and is tentatively ruled a drug overdose.
Gavin Kaiser’s body was discovered Jan. 24 in McElmo Canyon, west of Cortez.
His death is not believed to be a homicide or otherwise suspicious, but it has been linked to a recent drug seizure by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies seized meth, psychedelic drugs such as LSD and mushrooms, and other drug paraphernalia with an estimated street value of $11,000 to $20,000.
Montezuma County Coroner George Deavers confirmed that while an overdose is tentatively ruled the cause of death, final results are expected in a few weeks, pending autopsy and toxicology reports.
“We have a tentative cause of death, but until I get the final report, I can’t really release that,” Deavers said. “I have to wait on the forensic pathologist.”
Kaiser’s death occurred Jan. 3, though his body was not discovered until 21 days later, according to the coroner. Deavers said he visited the scene the day after the body was discovered.
The Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday it seized a “significant quantity” of psychedelic drugs and meth as part of an ongoing death investigation, stating the drugs were likely intended to be sold illegally. The office said the detective division continues to follow all leads in the case.
“We know that dangerous drugs have a devastating impact on families and neighborhoods, and we will continue to work tirelessly to remove them from our communities,” stated the Sheriff’s Department post.
The department encouraged the public to report any information about illegal drugs to Cortez Dispatch at (970) 565-8454, or to the Crime Stoppers tip line at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Sheriff Steve Nowlin said there are no signs that anyone else was implicated or involved in Kaiser’s death.
“Not of his death, but other crimes, yes,” he said.
The county coroner confirmed that the death is not thought to be suspicious.
“It’s definitely not suspicious,” Deavers said.
Deavers said fatal overdoses involving LSD or mushrooms alone are rare, and deaths are more often connected to behavior while being intoxicated or to the presence of other substances.
“It’s very hard to actually overdose on LSD or mushrooms,” Deavers said. “People have mushrooms, it doesn't mean that's the only kind of drug they take. Sometimes, they mix them together pretty frequently.”
Kaiser did not have any underlying heart conditions that might have contributed to an overdose, Deavers said. He said he believes the fatal overdose might have involved a different drug.
Deavers declined to say which drug or drugs might have caused the overdose, saying he does not want to release incomplete or inaccurate information before the forensic pathologist finalizes the report. He did confirm the substance believed to have caused the overdose is not a prescription medication, but a recreational drug.
The autopsy report is expected to take several weeks because of a big workload in the forensic lab.
awatson@the-journal.com
