Coroner: Body found in Fort Collins mobile home must be forensically identified

Two days after Fort Collins police officers found a person dead inside a north Fort Collins mobile home, the Larimer County Coroner's Office is working to forensically identify the body.

Coroner's office spokeswoman Debbie Reisdorff said this means investigators are using something other than a visual identifier, such as a driver's license photograph, to determine the identity. Reisdorff declined to share specific techniques being used.

The coroner's office has conducted an autopsy but is not yet releasing the manner and cause of death. 

The investigation began Wednesday, when police responded to a welfare check at 1601 N. College Ave. Officers noticed "several suspicious factors" and entered a residence to investigate. They found a body inside and are investigating it as a possible homicide. 

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On Friday afternoon, there was still a heavy police presence outside the residence. A portion of the road in front of the mobile home was closed off with yellow and red police tape.

Fort Collins Police Services spokeswoman Kate Kimble said police did not have any new information to release Friday.

The number of homicides in Larimer County has risen in the past three years. Between 2007 and 2016, the number of homicides has gone from about 1.4 per 100,000 residents in 2007 to about 2.9 in 2016, according to a Coloradoan analysis. 

Police have said they do not believe there is an imminent threat to public safety, but they advised residents to take "reasonable safety measures" regardless of whether there is an active investigation.

Coloradoan reporter Saja Hindi contributed to this report.  

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