Denver Police are investigating an outdoor death in the 3400 block of South Havana Street, a busy corridor near the Aurora city line in the Hampden neighborhood. Officers confirmed the case Wednesday night, saying the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will now determine how the person died.
The department shared the alert in a post on X just after 10 p.m. Wednesday, writing that the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and noting that the department will only update the thread if the investigation’s status changes to a homicide, according to the Denver Police Dept. The department also directed the public to the medical examiner’s office, which releases additional information about non-criminal death investigations through reports posted on its own website.
That kind of narrow, wait-and-see notice is standard practice for Denver Police, not a sign that something is being hidden. As Hoodline has previously reported, the department classifies unattended outdoor deaths as initial fact-finding cases and generally holds off on releasing further details unless forensic findings prompt a homicide reclassification. The policy is meant to prevent speculation while investigators and the medical examiner’s office do their work.
Why the Medical Examiner, Not Police, Determines Cause of Death
Colorado law gives county medical examiners and coroners statutory authority to investigate and determine the cause and manner of death for unattended, sudden, or non-natural fatalities that occur outside medical facilities, under Colorado Revised Statutes § 30-10-606, per Justia Law. That division of labor explains why Denver Police secure the scene and handle initial fact-finding, while the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner holds sole legal authority over the ultimate cause-of-death finding…