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Body found in river ID’d; he’s thought to have stabbed himself

Staff Report
Rescue workers retrieve the body of a man from the Colorado River near New Castle on Christmas Eve.
Lonnie Root / Provided |

The man whose body was found Saturday in the Colorado River has been identified as Joshua Patrick Henry, 28, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire said Tuesday.

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office on Monday said the person found in the river was suspected in the theft of a pickup truck a week earlier.

Glassmire said an autopsy conducted Tuesday found that Henry had a stab wound of the chest that penetrated a lung, and the death is being investigated as a suicide. Other wounds contributing to his death included cuts on the wrist and neck, in addition to his being immersed in cold water, the coroner said.



The Sheriff’s Office investigation determined that Henry was alone at the time of the vehicle theft and after the Honda Ridgeline crashed into the fence bordering a pasture. The person in the vehicle fled and was tracked by dogs to the river’s edge.

Glassmire’s news release said nothing suggested that another person was with Henry when he was on the riverbank. Toxicology is pending and will likely take four to six weeks for results.



The body was spotted at about 3:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve west of New Castle near an office building. A search and rescue team had retrieved the body by 5:30 p.m.

The pickup truck was stolen Dec. 19 at Exit 109 on Interstate 70, the Sheriff’s Office said.

After deputies helped by a dog lost the trail that night, they went back to the area Dec. 20 and found a wallet, clothing, pools of blood and tracks leading to the river.

Search and rescue workers went to the area Wednesday, finding a bloody knife in the same area of the blood and clothing.

Glassmire said Henry has family ties in Colorado Springs.


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