DENVER — An investigation is underway after two people were found dead near a Denver restaurant early Monday afternoon.
Denver7 spoke with friends and family of one of the victims, who are desperate for answers about what led up to the tragic deaths.
On Monday at 12:48 p.m., the department sent out a tweet saying officers were conducting a death investigation in the 4100 block of West 38th Avenue, near the intersection with Quitman Street. In an update at 3:37 p.m., DPD said two victims were found, and that the case was now being investigated as a double homicide.
Denver
Denver police investigating double homicide in West Highland neighborhood
The victims have been identified as Ignacio Gutierrez and Emerall Vaughn-Dahler, who were both employees at American Elm restaurant.
Denver7 spoke with Yarely Hernandez, a close friend of Gutierrez, who was devastated to hear what happened, saying she just saw him two days ago.
"He was loving, he was very respectful, very responsible. Just a good person, a good, good person," Hernandez said of her friend, who was a cook at the restaurant.
There are still many questions about the deaths, such as if the victims were found inside or outside of the restaurant, and when and how they died.
Denver7 reached out to police to get more details, but all they could say was that they are working to get suspect information and that the causes of death was still under investigation.
"To whoever did this — you took a son, a father, a friend," said Hernandez, breaking down in tears.
The restaurant announced on Facebook it will be closed for the rest of the week to provide mental health services to its employees and provided this statement:
“The American Elm team is completely devastated by today’s tragic events. We are focused on providing our staff mental health support and will be closed for the rest of the week. We are cooperating fully with the Denver Police Department in their ongoing investigation and will not be providing any further comment at this time out of respect for the families and loved ones involved.”
A GoFundMe online fundraiser has also been created to help support the families through this difficult time.
Investigators continue working to develop suspect information. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. You could be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
