Photos by Sylvia Lobato Rio Grande County law enforcement personnel close a private drive in the Rock Creek area Tuesday afternoon as they investigate a report of two deceased individuals discovered at the residence.

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STAFF REPORT

RIO GRANDE COUNTY — The Rio Grande County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Bureau of Investigation began investigating two deaths in the Rock Creek area on Tuesday afternoon.

Rio Grande County Sheriff Brian Norton was still at the death scene late Tuesday night when he confirmed his office had responded to a report of two bodies found at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday. He would not release information about who had died or by what manner.

“We have got two deceased people in a home,” he said late Tuesday night. “We are on scene and investigating it.”

Norton said on the basis of two bodies found, his office obtained a search warrant for the premises in the Rock Creek area, and the CBI lab truck was on its way Tuesday night. The sheriff said he had not yet been in the home and could not provide the identities of the two deceased persons there. He said he did not know at that point whether the deaths were the result of a homicide, illness or other cause.

When asked if public safety should be a concern to area residents because of a potential outstanding threat, Norton said, “That’s not a concern of ours right now. We believe we have who we need.”

The initial information came to the Valley Courier when a Valley resident (who asked not to be identified) contacted a newspaper staff member Tuesday afternoon and reported he had been stopped by law enforcement in the Rock Creek area yesterday afternoon. The individual told the Valley Courier, that he was stopped because he was driving a vehicle which generally matched a description of one law enforcement offices were looking for. The man said he was told that a vehicle similar to his had been involved in a crime and police were searching for it. He said he was told the vehicle in question was a black Chevy Silverado pickup truck. The man stopped by authorities was driving a black GMC Sierra pickup.

The man told the Valley Courier staffer than he was told by those who stopped him the vehicle was being sought in connection with a double homicide.