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What happened to Nathaniel Vialpando?
Posted: 02.11.2013 at 9:31 PM
Updated: 02.12.2013 at 8:10 AM
Rachel Welte

Rachel Welte is the Weekend News Anchor and a General Assignment Reporter.

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Nathaniel Vialpando as a child.  / "FOX21: Rachel Welte"
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FOUNTAIN, COLO. -- The Fountain Police Department released the name of the man found in a culvert off Fountain Creek Friday afternoon.

The body has been identified as 27-year-old Nathaniel Vialpando.

Vialpando's body was spotted around 3:30 in the afternoon by a person who was walking their dog in the area of Crest and Bandley, just off I-25 in Fountain.

Fountain Police said the last time anyone heard from or saw Vialpando was the night of December 2, 2012 at the Tomahawk truck stop off I-25 and exit 128.

"At that time a call came in from employees at that truck stop for a suspicious person in a vehicle," Fount,ain Chief of Police Todd Evans said.

That person would later be identified as Vialpando, who Evans said sped away when he was approached by an officer.

"Then Nathaniel came out west, and then started north on Charter Ranch Road," Evans said.

When he ran out of road, Evans said Vialpando smashed through a fence and into field, where he eventually ran into a concrete barrier near I-25.

"The officers waited as procedure would call for to approach," he said. "They approached the truck and found Nathaniel was no longer in the pickup truck."

Police set up a perimeter and searched for Vialpando on foot for an hour, but did not find anything. That is until Friday, February 8.

Chief Evans said Vialpando's family also has not seen or heard from him since late November or early December.

"We are asking if they (community members) have any other information between those two dates, the December date and last Friday, they please call investigators or dispatch," he said.

Evans said Vialpando was never reported missing, which only adds to the mystery of his death, as it appeared from a picture and memorial along Bandley he was from the Fountain area.

"We are going to, as much as we can, work to verify the timeline of that evening," Chief Evans said.

Vialpando's cause of death has not been released as investigators are waiting on toxicology results from his autopsy.

At the time of his death, police said Vialpando had two outstanding warrants. One from Douglas County and one from El Paso County, both for failure to appear.

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