GUNNISON — Police believe a Gunnison man found dead at an LDS meetinghouse suffered a serious injury after being kicked out of party, and then died from severe blood loss.
Officers were called to the church parking lot, 80 W. Center, about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday on a report a deceased man. They arrived to find the body of Ricardo Valencia, 21.
Investigators believe Valencia was attending a party the night before in the 100 North block of Gunnison and at some point was asked to leave following a confrontation, said Gunnison Police Chief Brett McCall.
"As he left the house it was reported that he punched through a glass window, causing the victim to receive a serious laceration to his arm, near the brachial artery, causing severe bleeding," McCall said in a prepared statement.
"The victim, believed to be intoxicated, left the residence where the party (was) and left on foot. As the victim was bleeding severely from his injury, it is suspected that he passed out from the loss of blood in the LDS meetinghouse's parking lot. A blanket was found near the victim that he may have used in an attempt to control the bleeding. He is believed to have died from a combination of blood loss and exposure to the elements in the cold weather."
Valencia had just been released from the Sanpete County Jail on Monday and was still under the supervision of Adult Probation and Parole, the chief said.
By Tuesday afternoon, McCall said more than 30 people had been interviewed by police and at least one search warrant was served on a house in Gunnison.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Gunnison Valley Police Department at 435-835-2345.