Public commenter urges transparency in missing-person case, alleges coroner misconduct

During the public-comment period Tom Murphy urged Las Animas County officials to provide greater transparency in the handling of the missing-person case of David Shier, who disappeared Feb. 22, 2022. Murphy said an August 26, 2023 exhumation involved multiple bodies and that family members have filed a $5 million lawsuit against the coroner; he called on the newly elected district attorney to release a non-redacted CBI report and to investigate possible conflicts of interest in the coroner's office.