Three years after 64-year-old Paul Gallenstein was shot to death while hiking near Fort Collins, investigators still have no weapon, no suspect, and no motive. His killer remains unidentified, and the case continues to sit open as detectives ask the public once more for any scrap of information about what happened that September morning at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area.
Gallenstein was found on the Foothills Trail on September 10, 2023, after a single passerby found his body and called 911 at approximately 10:18 p.m., according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. Deputies have said they are seeking information from anyone who was in the area between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. that day, according to a post from the Larimer County Sheriff's Office on Facebook. In that same post, marking the anniversary of his death, investigators wrote that they are still working to identify who killed Gallenstein and will not give up the search for justice on behalf of his loved ones.
An autopsy by the Larimer County Coroner's Office determined Gallenstein died from a gunshot injury, a finding that shifted what had initially been described as a suspicious death into a homicide investigation, per the sheriff's office. Investigators had a timeframe to work with even though no one appears to have witnessed the shooting itself.
Evidence Washed Away Before It Could Be Collected
Physical evidence, however, proved far harder to pin down. K9 teams, drone operators, and forensic crews searched the area but never recovered a firearm, with the sheriff's office noting that dense foliage and heavy rainfall in the days after the shooting hampered initial evidence collection. Investigators also appealed for information from people who had been on the trail.
The Foothills Trail sits within Reservoir Ridge Natural Area, a city open space, according to the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department. The trail is a popular route through the area.
Billboards and a Push for Tips
With leads slow to materialize, Gallenstein's family put up a private reward of as much as $50,000 for information leading to a resolution or arrest. Billboards featuring his photo and case details also kept the unsolved killing visible long after the initial headlines faded.
Gallenstein had deep roots in the community he was killed in. He moved to Fort Collins at age 14, graduated from Colorado State University in 1981 with a degree in economics, and married his wife in August 1987, according to K99. In the anniversary post, the sheriff's office described him as a husband, brother, best friend, travel companion, fishing buddy, and longtime local community member — someone whose family is still waiting for closure.
Other Unsolved Cases on the County's Books
Gallenstein's case remains an unsolved file. Larimer County law enforcement maintains an open cold-case portfolio of 15 unsolved and open cases, including homicides and hit-and-run deaths dating back more than a century, according to 99.9 The Point. In Gallenstein's case, rain and vegetation hampered initial evidence collection.
For now, the sheriff's office is repeating the same request it made in the first days after the shooting: anyone who was on or near the Foothills Trail at Reservoir Ridge between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on September 10, 2023, is asked to come forward. Three years without an arrest hasn't closed the door on the investigation, and with a widow's reward still standing and billboards still up around Northern Colorado, investigators are betting that someone out there still remembers something worth telling them.
