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PRICE — Carbon County Sheriff's Sgt. David Brewer has a lot to think about.
“Notes, notes, notes. That's all they are in the beginning,” Brewer said, going through some papers on his desk.
The only problem is he only has a handful of pages to help him think. He wishes he had more.
"Without a case file, we have problems,” Brewer said. “It’s very, very tough.”
Three weeks ago, a woman called the sheriff’s office saying she never believed her father shot and killed himself like what was reported at the time.
It was the opening week of the hunting season in October 1975 when Boyd Kimber Harvey was riding his horse in the Clear Creek area, south of Scofield State Park.
Harvey was 34 years old, a coal miner and the father of eight children when he was shot. Several other hunters helped get him out of the steep ravine, but he later died.
"The newspaper headlines all claimed it was self-inflicted with his own rifle, shot himself off the horse. But when we got a copy of the medical examiner's report, they disproved that," Brewer said.
The newspaper headlines all claimed it was self-inflicted with his own rifle, shot himself off the horse. But when we got a copy of the medical examiner's report, they disproved that.
–Sgt. David Brewer, Carbon County Sheriff's Office
The report showed the bullet that killed Harvey came from a different caliber rifle than his own and it "had to come from a distance, not close range,” Brewer said.
That means one of two things, Brewer said: "It was either a homicide or an unfortunate accident, stray bullet maybe from another deer hunter's rifle."
Brewer has spoken with a few of the witnesses who got Harvey out of the ravine, but he wants to talk to as many as possible.
"The community is well aware of it,” Brewer said. “People were asked, they all remember and the whole community cried foul on it. They never thought it was an accident in the first place."
Brewer knows this is a tough case, but he also knows how tough it must be for the family always being told their father killed himself.
"You can't help but feel a little bit emotional with the family, that you want to try to do your best for them to give them some kind of answer,” Brewer said. “I would love to solve this case.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Brewer at 435-636-3251.
Contributing: Jay Dortzbach
