Fernando Chavez-Lara

A month-long search for a missing Denver man came to a tragic and violent end in the pre-dawn hours of a cold December morning. Fernando Chavez-Lara, a 31-year-old Hispanic man, was a father to two children. His loved ones last saw him on November 2, 2015. Five days later, on November 7, with his absence unexplained and his whereabouts unknown, his family reported him missing to the Denver Police Department. For weeks, they waited, holding onto hope while grappling with the uncertainty of his sudden disappearance.

The answer to their questions was found more than a month later in the neighboring city of Aurora. On December 19, 2015, at approximately 5:11 a.m., Aurora police officers were dispatched to an industrial area in the 14100 block of East 32nd Avenue. The call was about a body that had been discovered inside a parked vehicle. When officers arrived at the scene, they confirmed the deceased person inside was Fernando Chavez-Lara.

The scene inside the car told a story of a brutal and calculated killing. Investigators determined that Fernando had been deceased for a significant amount of time before he was found. He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Adding to the violent nature of the crime, his hands had been bound behind his back. The Aurora Police Department’s Major Crimes/Homicide Unit took charge of the investigation, treating it as a homicide from the outset.

The location where Fernando was found is a commercial and industrial corridor in Aurora, a large suburb on the eastern edge of Denver. The area is a mix of warehouses, businesses, and open land, a place that can be desolate and quiet in the early morning hours, particularly in the winter. Investigators had to piece together a difficult timeline, trying to determine when and where Fernando was killed and how his vehicle ended up on East 32nd Avenue.

The investigation into who killed Fernando Chavez-Lara has remained active but has yielded no arrests. The circumstances of his final days, from when he was last seen alive on November 2 to when he was found on December 19, remain a mystery to the public and his family. Key questions persist: Who did he encounter in those final weeks? Why was he targeted in such a violent manner? And who was responsible for his abduction and murder?

The Aurora Police Department continues to investigate Fernando’s death. No suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly named in connection with the case. Without new information, the path to justice for Fernando and his family remains stalled. His case is listed among Colorado's cold cases, a reminder of a life cut short and a crime yet to be solved. As of late 2023, the investigation is ongoing, awaiting the lead that might finally provide answers and accountability for the murder of Fernando Chavez-Lara. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Aurora Police Department.