Chaffee Co. man found dead in crawlspace

Authorities believe a 92-year-old man died accidentally when a homemade device exploded.

The Chaffee County sheriff’s office at first suspected that Edwin Bartheld died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Turret, a ghost town 12 miles from Salida that has attracted about 50 residents.

Bartheld’s body was found Friday in the crawlspace of his home. Deputies were investigating the death when they found explosive materials and called a bomb squad. The materials were removed and detonated Saturday.

In a statement Sunday, the sheriff’s office said Bartheld is believed to have died “due to a bizarre series of events” that ended when a homemade device exploded. Investigators believe they found a motive for Bartheld’s explosives but declined to release details, citing an ongoing investigation.