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MONTEZUMA COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Two Native American men disappeared in southwestern Colorado in the early 2000s, and now the Federal Bureau of Investigation is hoping the right tip may lead to an arrest in the two separate murder cases.

Courtesy: FBI Denver

Odell Vest was last seen around July 10 and 11 in 2000 at a house party on Lafayette Street in Towaoc, Colorado. Vest was 21 years old at the time of his death.

Courtesy: FBI Denver

Avery Whiteskunk was reported missing on January 31, 2004. His body was found March 19 of that year on the northern edge of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, near County Ground G in Montezuma County, Colorado. Whiteskunk was 42 at the time of his death and was also from Towaoc, Colorado.

Both cases have been prioritized for renewed investigations due to the launch of the National Strategy to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons by the United States Department of Justice.

Investigators reviewed several cold case missing persons and homicides on the two reservations in southwest Colorado and determined these murders are potentially solvable cases.

“FBI agents assigned to offices near tribal land are committed to ensuring the
community’s safety and security in and around the reservation,” said FBI Denver Special
Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. “Our success relies on collaboration with our tribal
law enforcement agencies and the community providing valuable tips.”

The FBI is offering a reward up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in both murder cases.

If you have any information concerning these two victims, please contact the FBI’s Denver Field Office at (303) 629-7171, or submit a tip online at: tips.fbi.gov.