Michael Loughrey

Michael Joseph Loughrey was an adventurous and entrepreneurial young man who loved the outdoors. Born on July 11, 1954, at Hamilton Air Force Base in California, he later moved to Colorado and graduated from Aurora Central High School in 1972. Known as an avid mountain climber, water and snow skier, he frequently went camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains he adored. After working at Meadow Hills Golf Course, the 29-year-old started his own landscaping and sprinkler system company, "Colorado Water Works." Remembered fondly by his three sisters, Michael was a man with a deep connection to the natural beauty of his adopted state.

In the fall of 1983, Michael’s life took a dark and mysterious turn. He disappeared from his Denver apartment on October 17, and for nearly seven months, his family and friends lived with the anguish of not knowing his fate. The search for the missing landscaper came to a grim conclusion on May 9, 1984. A surveyor for a construction company discovered human remains in an open field near East Hampden Avenue and South Yosemite Street, in the 8400 block of E. Jefferson Avenue. The Denver Police Department responded, and the remains were soon identified as those of Michael Loughrey.

An autopsy revealed the violent nature of his death. Michael, a White male, had been shot four times. The discovery of his body shifted the focus from a missing person case to a homicide investigation. Detectives with the Denver Police Department began the difficult task of piecing together the last moments of Michael’s life and identifying who was responsible for his murder.

During the investigation, a prime suspect emerged: a man named Anthony Landis. Authorities believed Landis might have also been involved in the killings of two other men just three weeks after Michael vanished. However, the path to holding him accountable for Michael's death was complicated. It was reported that Landis was in the federally protected witness program, a status that allegedly prevented his prosecution for the murder. While Landis was later incarcerated for other unrelated crimes, he was never formally charged in connection with Michael Loughrey’s death.

Public records show an Anthony R. Landis with a criminal history in Colorado was sentenced as a habitual offender to life in prison for burglary and theft, but these court documents do not mention the Loughrey homicide. The exact connection between Landis and Michael, and the motive for the killing, remain unclear to the public. The lack of charges left Michael's family without the closure of a conviction.

Decades have passed, but the murder of Michael Joseph Loughrey officially remains unsolved and is considered a cold case by the Denver Police Department. His family's grief has been compounded by the absence of justice. In his memory, Michael’s ashes were scattered in the Rocky Mountains, the landscape he loved so much. As of November 2026, there have been no new arrests or developments announced in the case. Anyone with information regarding the homicide of Michael Loughrey is asked to contact the Denver Police Department.