RIFLE, Colo. — Four people were arrested roughly three months after human remains were found near Rifle, the Garfield County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.
On December 26, 2023, after receiving multiple tips about a missing person, law enforcement and the Garfield County Search and Rescue team performed a grid search near Fravert Reservoir off County Road 244. Two hours later, authorities found the remains of Raul Perez, 43.
The Garfield County coroner determined that Perez's body had been in the area since mid-summer, according to the sheriff's office. His death was deemed a homicide.
The sheriff's office on Tuesday filed arrest warrants for four people — Angel Luis Cosme-Marquez, 54; Manuela Zapata-Castillo, 42; Phillip Allen Johnson, 28; and Joseph Patrick Moffat, 38.
Cosme-Marquez faces 10 charges, including murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree and three counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body. His bail was set at $1 million, cash only.
Zapata-Castillo also faces 10 charges, including conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, distribution of a controlled substance - fentanyl, and four counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body. Her bail was set at $500,000, cash only.
Johnson and Moffat each face six charges, including tampering with a deceased body, accessory to a crime and three counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body. Their bail was each set at $50,000, cash only.
