Denver police are investigating what they are calling an “outdoor death” in the 3300 block of North Vrain Street in northwest Denver, after officers responded to the area Monday. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, and police say they will only treat it as a homicide if evidence points them there.
What police posted
In a short social media update, the Denver Police Department said officers were on scene in the North Vrain block and that the Office of the Medical Examiner would later release the victim’s name and cause of death. The department also reminded followers that its account is not monitored around the clock and added, according to the Denver Police Dept., that the post will only be updated if the investigation is reclassified as a homicide.
Medical examiner's role
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner investigates certain deaths that must be reported under Colorado law and is responsible for certifying both the cause and the manner of death. Autopsies and formal reports often take days or even weeks to complete. The office regularly posts case summaries and other public updates on its website, according to the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
How these probes sometimes change
Police frequently use the “outdoor death” label at the outset while detectives and medical examiners sort through evidence. It is essentially a holding category, and some cases that start this way are later reclassified as homicides after autopsy findings or additional scene work. Recent local examples include outdoor death alerts that eventually became homicide investigations, as reported by the Denver Gazette.
How to share tips
Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call the Denver Police non-emergency line at 720-913-2000 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Call 911 for emergencies. Those numbers appear in the city’s police directory, which also lists media-relations contacts for reporters, according to the Denver Police Directory.
This story will be updated if the Denver Police Department or the medical examiner releases more details about the victim, the cause of death, or any change in the status of the investigation.
