Timothy Tim Watkins, 60, disappeared after a routine trail ride near Mount Herman on September 14, 2017. His bike and one shoe were recovered along Mount Herman Road, and on September 17 a hiker found his body concealed under leaves and twigs off a popular trail. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office determined Watkins had been shot multiple times and ruled his death a homicide.

Around the same time, reports surfaced of a man threatening trail users with a hatchet. Authorities arrested 31-year-old Daniel Nations and recovered a hatchet and a .22-caliber rifle from his vehicle; the rifle was the same caliber as the round that killed Watkins. Witnesses placed Nations’ vehicle in the area during the search, but ballistics were inconclusive because the bullet was too damaged for a match and DNA did not link him to the killing. Nations was never charged in the homicide and later pleaded to menacing charges without receiving jail time.

The murder of Tim Watkins remains unsolved. If anyone rode the Mount Herman trails in mid-September 2017 or saw suspicious activity or vehicles, please come forward with information.