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Pair Apprehended For Questioning In Phantom Canyon Killings
Toni Marie Gurule, 41, and Suzzette Marie Salyer, 40, were sought by authorities for a DNA court order in connection to a double killing. The pair, who are persons of interest, have since been released.
Authorities have located two women who had been wanted for questioning in connection with the suspected murders of a pair of men whose bodies were dumped near a canyon trail last month.
Toni Marie Gurule, 41, and Suzzette Marie Salyer, 40, had been wanted by deputies for questioning in connection with the Phantom Canyon double homicide, according to the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. Before their apprehension, the two women were considered armed and dangerous.
There had been a prior court order to obtain both Gurule and Salyer’s DNA in relation to the murder case, however authorities didn’t elaborate on the nature of the forensic sample. Gurule and Salyer, who haven’t been charged, were later released on their own recognizance.
“The subjects were released pending further investigation,” Undersheriff Derek Irvine told Oxygen.com on Thursday morning. “They are persons of interest at this time.”
County officials, who have released little information related to the double murder investigation, noted Gurule or Salyer are not officially considered suspects in the ongoing case.
On Feb. 8, deputies responded to a remote trail area in unincorporated Fremont County known as Phantom Canyon after reports of a suspicious death. Upon arrival, local investigators found the bodies of two deceased men in a ravine. Investigators stated the men’s injuries were “consistent with foul play.”
Fremont County Coroner later identified the pair of men as 25-year-old Ryan Joe Roth and 36-year-old Rodolfo Santillan-Reyes. Their deaths were subsequently ruled homicides. Officials didn’t specify an exact cause or approximate times of their deaths. An apparent motive in the two slayings hasn’t been released. Santillan-Reyes and Roth are local to the area, according to law enforcement.
A spokesperson from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment further on the open case on Thursday morning.
“Since this is an active criminal investigation there will be little information that can be released other than basic data,” Sheriff Allen Cooper also told Oxygen.com on Thursday afternoon. “This is to protect the integrity of the investigation. If an arrest is made the information on the custody will be available and released.
The FBI is also assisting local law enforcement on the open murder case. A spokesperson for the federal agency declined to comment further on the case.
Prior to their apprehension, police stated the two women had been known to operate a trio of different vehicles with Colorado plates, including a white 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck, an orange 2004 Ford Mustang, and a blue 2007 Ford F150 pick up truck.
Anyone with additional information regarding the double homicide case are encouraged to contact the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at 719-276-5555 or Crime Stoppers at 719-275-7867.
