Cortez Police identify 3 found dead in motel room, drug use suspected
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CORTEZ, Colo (KRDO) -- Thursday, police identified three people who were found dead in a Cortez motel room. According to the Cortez Police Department, drug use is suspected.
On March 4, police received a request for a welfare check at the National 9 motel. At the scene, officers found three people dead.
Thursday, police released the name of the three victims, Shondella L. Silas, 44, of Towaoc; Tharon F. Grayhair, 40, of White Mesa, Utah.; and Tilden D. Arrates, 27, of Towaoc.
According to Tribal Chairman Manuel Heart, Silas and Arrates were members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
While the official causes of death are still under investigation, Montezuma County Coroner George Deavers speculated that drug use was a cause of death. He estimated that the three died early Friday morning.
Police say alcohol and suspected opioids, including fentanyl, were found in the room. Also, police say "suspicious activity" was reported in the room on the evening of March 3.
According to the Montezuma-Cortez Narcotics Investigation Team, counterfeit OxyContin pills laced with fentanyl have been showing up in Cortez.
Following the discovery of the three victims, the police department issued a fentanyl warning to the community, saying fentanyl was noted as one of the drugs contributing to several overdose deaths in Montezuma County in 2021.
Autopsies and toxicology analyses were conducted Monday by the Montezuma County Coroner’s Office. Police say the autopsy results could take between two and four weeks.