In the autumn of 1985, the quiet community of Durango, Colorado, was unsettled by a grim discovery that would linger for decades. On November 10th, the body of 36-year-old David Michael Tyler, a local white male and co-owner of the Automatic Transmission Exchange, was found in the back of a utility trailer parked near his business in the 1400 block of Main Avenue. The gruesome scene was first spotted by a passenger on the passing Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
An investigation by the Durango Police Department revealed the brutal nature of his death; Tyler had been beaten to death, and his hands were bound behind his back. The date of his death was determined to be November 9, 1985.
The interior of his auto shop offered a chilling glimpse into the violence that had occurred. Investigators found a bloody scene with fragments of skull in a corner. Scrawled on the wall in blood was a derogatory slur, hinting at a possible motive. In the initial stages of the investigation, the police released a composite sketch of a man who had been seen talking with Tyler before he was killed, but this lead, like many others to follow, did not result in an arrest. The case grew cold, leaving a shadow over the small city.
Over the years, tips and theories have surfaced, often pointing to a darker side of Durango involving drugs and clandestine relationships. In 1990, a woman came forward with a detailed account, implicating three local men she claimed were heavily involved in the cocaine scene. She alleged that one of the men had been in a sexual relationship with Tyler. Despite these and other leads, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murder of David Tyler. His case remains an unsolved homicide, a cold case that continues to hold its secrets more than three decades later.
