A body found in a ravine near Highway 257 in Milliken is being investigated by police, and the family of a missing 16-year-old boy says it belongs to their son. Matthew Alfaro was last seen Friday night, and his relatives believe the remains discovered this week are his, even though authorities have not confirmed the identity of the person found.
Milliken police confirmed that a body had been found, but investigators have not publicly identified the person or confirmed whether it is Alfaro, according to the Denver Gazette. Alfaro's family maintains that the body found near Highway 257 is their missing son, even as that identification remains unconfirmed by officials.
According to Alfaro's relatives, a family member found the body in the ravine, located about three-quarters of a mile from where the teen was last seen Friday night. The discovery drew a multi-agency response that included the Weld County Sheriff's Office, Milliken police and Greeley police, the paper reports.
What Investigators Have and Haven't Said
As of now, investigators have not publicly identified the person whose body was found, nor have they confirmed whether it is Alfaro, per the same report. That leaves the family's identification as the only account currently connecting the discovery to the missing teen, pending any official confirmation from authorities.
The case echoes another Milliken investigation from 2024, when police said a missing 39-year-old man was found dead in Ehrlich Lake in Weld County. In that instance, divers from several Weld County fire departments recovered the man's body from the lake at 1 p.m., according to the Denver Post. Police in that case said they were investigating the death as an accidental drowning and did not believe foul play was involved — a conclusion that has no bearing on the current investigation into the body found near Highway 257, which remains unresolved.
For now, the Alfaro family is left waiting for official word as Milliken police continue to investigate. No additional details about the circumstances of the discovery have been released.
