IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide at a property associated with a missing person, the sheriff’s office announced Saturday.
The body of Paul Peavey, 57, was found Saturday morning by a group of concerned neighbors and friends in the 1000 block of Two Brothers Road near Idaho Springs.
"His death is considered a homicide; however, we do not believe the public is in imminent danger," the sheriff's office posted late Saturday night.
Information on a possible suspect or suspects was not released, and investigators have not yet determined a motive.
Peavey, a long-time Idaho Springs resident and breeder of Doberman dogs, was reported missing on Wednesday. It was also reported that many Doberman puppies were missing from his property.
On Saturday night, his close friends gathered at Pick Axe Pizza on Main Street in Idaho Springs.
"His dogs were his life. He had been through some things in life, and the dogs were his therapy," said Bruce Boynton, owner of Pick Axe Pizza.
Boynton was worried this week when he couldn't reach Peavey and took matters into his own hands on Wednesday.
"I'm the one that went up to the property and realized things were awry to the point where the puppies were gone, the house was tossed, anything of value missing," explained Boynton.
Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew Harris said law enforcement checked Peavey's property Thursday afternoon and found nothing.
"If the situation and the information we learned that a person was endangered, certainly we would have a larger team here, but that was not the information that we received," said Harris.
The community spearheaded a search party on Saturday morning, and dozens of people showed up to search Peavey's property again.
"Half the people that showed up don't even know Paul," said Boynton.
The sheriff's office said those volunteers found Peavey's body down an embankment.
"The state of his body leads us to believe the death was suspicious," said Harris. The coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of Peavey’s death.
Peavey's friends believe he was targeted for his dogs, something the sheriff's office is still investigating while this close-knit community grieves.
"We're going to miss him," said Boynton.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation, which includes determining the puppies' whereabouts, the sheriff's office said Sunday.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the sheriff’s office non-emergency number at 303-679-2393 or submit a tip via email at crime_tips@clearcreeksheriff.us.
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