BRIGHTON - Authorities believe foul play led to the death of a man, who was found in his burning home early Sunday morning, and are now trying to find the victim's van.
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"I can't believe it happened to him, especially on Father's Day," said neighbor Howard M. Jones.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office says the fire happened around 4:15 a.m. on Kennedy Avenue near East 135th Avenue.
Firefighters responded to the scene after neighbors reported seeing smoke coming from the home. When fire crews arrived, they found the man inside.
Deputies obtained a search warrant for the house. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and a K-9 unit were on scene as well.
The dogs, authorities say, are being used to see if they can pinpoint where the blaze began.
"There's obviously been foul play, and that's what we're going to investigate - who and why, and what happened," said Sgt. Candi Baker, spokesperson for the Adams County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives were also on scene talking to family members of the victim to learn more about his background.
"I can't believe it happened to him, especially on Father's Day," said neighbor Howard M. Jones.
"I've known him for 25 or 26 years, and I couldn't say a bad thing about him," said neighbor Joe Stone.
Deputies say there does not seem to be any forced entry into the home.
The man's 1989 Chevy Custom van was missing from the scene and authorities are now searching for it. It's described as a maroon van with a faded "dusty rose" horizontal stripe on the side, with Colorado license plate: SAB 8853. A photograph of the actual van is pictured here: (Note: This is the way the photograph was sent to 9NEWS from the Adams County Sheriff's Office.)
If you see the van, you should call 911.
9NEWS and 9NEWS.com will update this story as more information becomes available.
