Gerardo Hernandez Lucio Obituary, Death; – A third individual has been charged in relation to the death of a man whose remains were discovered near Poudre Canyon Road in April. In the early hours of April 11, the Poudre Canyon Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire beneath the bridge at Stevens Gulch Picnic Area in Poudre Canyon, where they encountered a deceased man who was ablaze, as reported by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim was identified as 49-year-old Gerardo Hernandez Lucio from Greeley. The Larimer County Coroner’s Office determined that his death was a homicide resulting from a gunshot wound. Investigators suspect he was murdered in Weld County several days prior to the discovery of his body on April 11 in Larimer County. Two suspects were apprehended in connection with this homicide in late April: 32-year-old Isaac Valdez-Salvador from Fort Collins and 37-year-old Juana Espino from Evans. Both suspects were acquainted with the victim, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
The Weld County District Attorney’s Office announced on May 5 that a third suspect had been arrested in connection with the homicide: 27-year-old Monica Lopez-Silva. Lopez-Silva faces charges of accessory to a crime, classified as a Class 4 felony, and tampering with evidence, classified as a Class 6 felony. Valdez-Salvador has been charged with first-degree murder, a Class 1 felony; conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, a Class 2 felony; tampering with a deceased human body, a Class 3 felony; motor vehicle theft, a Class 4 felony; vehicular eluding, a Class 5 felony; and tampering with evidence, a Class 6 felony.
Valdez-Salvador is the same individual who recently led police on a high-speed pursuit that concluded with the driver being struck on Interstate 25 while attempting to cross a median on foot. When deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop involving Valdez-Salvador in Loveland on April 14, he fled the scene. He ultimately came to a stop on I-25 near Mead due to a flat tire, exited his vehicle armed with a handgun, and ran across the interstate before being struck by a vehicle traveling in the northbound lanes. He was taken to the hospital.
