IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation into the death of a man in Idaho Springs after a community-organized search party found his body within minutes of beginning their search. He had been reported missing three days earlier.
The Clear Creek County coroner identified the deceased as Paul Peavey, 57, who was reported missing on Wednesday. Bruce Boynton, one of Peavey’s closest friends and the owner of Pickaxe Pizza in Idaho Springs, organized the search party that ultimately discovered Peavey’s body. Boynton expressed frustration with the authorities that this shouldn't have been the community's responsibility.
Boynton noted that Peavey was a regular at his restaurant, typically stopping by at least twice a week. He had seen Peavey recently, but knew his friend was a busy guy. It became alarming when another one of Peavey’s friends called and asked if Boynton had seen him.
On Wednesday, Boynton said he and at least four others reported Peavey missing to authorities. Growing increasingly concerned, Boynton decided to check on Peavey’s property himself, even clipping the outside gate to gain access. What he found only heightened his fears.
“His puppies are missing, his equipment is missing, anything of value is gone, the doors are wide open, and no one [was there],” Boynton recounted. “I felt that my friend was either in danger or worse. And we were right.”
Peavey, a breeder of Doberman service dogs, had 13 puppies that were all missing when Boynton visited the property. According to Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew Harris, a deputy was dispatched to search the property on Thursday but found no bodies.
Three days after filing the missing persons reports, Boynton decided to take matters into his own hands. He organized a community search group, and they set out Saturday morning. Within minutes, the group discovered Peavey’s body, which Boynton described as being in a horrifying state, haphazardly covered with sticks, stones, and debris.
“Nothing that anyone wants to see in their life. It’s something that would haunt you for the rest of your life,” Boynton said.
Harris later explained that the body was located further from the property in an embankment and was not in plain sight, but the condition of the body suggested that the death was suspicious.
Although the Clear Creek County coroner officially identified Peavey, Boynton said they recognized him immediately based on his distinctive features and tattoos. While Boynton expressed gratitude that law enforcement is now investigating, he criticized the initial handling of the case.
“It should not have been us. The authorities should have listened to us from the very beginning and acted on it, but they did not… They’re on our side now, but we had to prove what we’d been telling them for days,” Boynton said.
Harris acknowledged that the missing persons reports did not indicate Peavey was in danger. He noted the limitations of the department's resources.
“We have a small staff… A lot of complaints that come in, and we have to triage that in order of importance… If the situation and the information we learned suggested that a person was endangered, certainly we would have a larger team here.”
More than 40 community members joined the search on Saturday morning, many of whom didn’t even know Peavey personally.
“We’re gonna miss Paul. And hopefully, this opens people’s eyes to what community is about,” Boynton said.
The sheriff's office has since classified Peavey’s death as a homicide and continues to investigate. They said they do not believe the public is in imminent danger.