Remains solve two-year-old missing person mystery
EAGLE — The remains of an Eagle man were discovered south of town, two years after he went missing.
John Vengrin was killed by a single gunshot to his head. The death is being ruled a suicide, said Kara Bettis, Eagle County coroner. Dental records were used to identify the remains.
Vengrin, 55, had not been seen or heard from since Nov. 20, 2011.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s office was initially contacted by Vengrin’s landlord on Jan. 17, 2011 who reported Vengrin missing.
The landlord had located Vengrin’s vehicle in long-term parking at the Eagle County Regional Airport. The key was in the ignition, but was not attached to any key ring.
Support Local Journalism
Deputies were unable to locate any flight information for Vengrin, so he was entered as a missing person.
Deputies removed Vengrin’s vehicle, a green Ford Explorer, from the airport parking lot. Deputies searched both the vehicle and Vengrin’s residence, but found nothing suspicious.
Then last Friday, Vengrin’s remains were found on Horton Street in Eagle, west of Eagle Ranch. A newspaper was found in a plastic tube nearby. The tube was capped at both ends.
An individual was doing some kind of recreational activity in the area and found the remains, the Sheriff’s Office said.
How he got from the airport to Hardscrabble Road remains a mystery, deputies said.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
