Skeletal Remains Found In Colorado Mountains Believed To Be 1980 Cold Case Victim Caught In Love Triangle

For 38 years, what happened to a 32-year-old Colorado mother of two has been a mystery, but investigators now believe they've located the woman's remains on a Colorado mountain. And they could be one step closer to solving the woman's disappearance.

Investigators from the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday they had discovered significant clues in the death of Beverly England during an extensive excavation up the side of Mount Shavano.

"The operation lasted 5 days and it proved to be very successful in that numerous human remains, believed to be that of Beverly England, along with several items believed to be associated with her death, were recovered and collected as evidence," a statement from the sheriff's office said.

The human remains discovered during the excavation—led by the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, the Salida Police Department, the Chaffee County Coroner's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation—will now be sent to the pathology department at the University of Northern Texas to be further analyzed and identified.

"There were several remains that displayed possible damage and this could possibly reveal a cause of death," the sheriff's office said.

England, who was believed to be caught in a love triangle at the time, was last seen on June 12, 1980.

Multiple witnesses reported England had been having an affair with Steven Abeyta and was last seen at a doughnut shop with the man's wife, Mitzy Abeyta, KDVR reports.

Before leaving to meet the woman, she had allegedly told her babysitter she planned to meet Mitzy Abeyta, even though the babysitter had warned her against it, the news station reported.

England had apparently confided to another family friend that she planned to end the affair.

Later that day, England's husband found her car at a park. Her purse and shoes were still inside but there was no further trace of England.

Twelve years later, some human remains were discovered at the same dig site investigators returned to this year; however, they weren't identified as remains belonging to England until 2015. This new discovery prompted the sheriff's office to reopen the case and in November 2016 a person came forward with new information in the case, according to KMGH-TV.

After this weekend's discovery of additional remains, authorities hope they are finally able to answer what happened to England all those years ago.

[Photos: Chaffee County Sheriff's Office]