Who murdered Lorne Mabbutt? In the rugged landscape west of the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a somber discovery was made by three hikers on December 14, 2012. Venturing off the beaten path, they stumbled upon human skeletal remains and promptly alerted a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Deputy stationed at the nearby Trading Post. The remains, which appeared to have been exposed to the elements for a significant amount of time, were carefully recovered from the scene.
Forensic analysis and DNA testing would later provide a name to the unknown, identifying the man as Lorne Mabbutt, a male born on August 13, 1972.
The identification of Lorne Mabbutt brought a sorrowful end to a mystery that had begun over seven years earlier. Mabbutt had been reported missing on October 2, 2005, from the Morrison area, not far from where his remains were ultimately found. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death were immediately deemed suspicious by investigators. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office subsequently classified his case as a homicide, launching an investigation into the events that led to his untimely demise. Despite the passage of time and the dedicated efforts of law enforcement, the exact cause of Lorne Mabbutt's death remains undetermined.
As of today, the investigation into the death of Lorne Mabbutt is considered a cold case. There have been no arrests made in connection with his homicide, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The details of what transpired between his disappearance in 2005 and the discovery of his remains in 2012 remain shrouded in mystery. Law enforcement officials continue to appeal to the public for any information that might shed light on this long-unsolved case and bring a measure of closure to the friends and family of Lorne Mabbutt.
