Monte Vista Journal
By Sgt. Dusty Little

To the Editor:

The [Rio Grande County] Sheriff's office truly regrets the public confusion about the disappearance of Danice Day. As was explained in previous newspaper articles, Sheriff Medina delegated this case to Undersheriff Martinez from the beginning, knowing that he had a personal relationship in the past with parties involved in the case.

In a small county like this almost every case involves suspects, victims and witnesses that are known personally to the Sheriff or a member of his staff. Reassigning cases to others within the department to avoid conflict is a routine matter. Every available resource has been tapped to solve this case, from the County Commissioners to the District Attorney and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

We have coordinated the investigation with local law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado as well as other states. Missing person's organizations nation wide have been contacted and advised. The implication that the Sheriff of Rio Grande County has not pursued this case is unfounded, misleading and only feeds irrational sensationalism.

Any missing person case is sensitive. Although the possibility of foul play cannot be ruled out, there may be a credible reason for the disappearance. If foul play was involved, it is imperative that proper procedures be followed throughout the investigation in order not to violate the rule of law.

The function of the District Attorney is to prosecute cases where the law has been broken, and we have been working with the DA to make sure that the actions of this office assist him in doing his job if it comes to that.

Every possibility must be followed up if we are going to bring this case to resolution. Most missing person cases are resolved in the first 24 hours. Very few cases go beyond 90 days without resolution. The Sheriff and his staff feel that resolution of this case is still a realistic expectation. The Sheriff hopes that unauthorized press releases, conjectures and the DA's preemptive move to manage the case will not make it harder to find out what we all want to know: What happened to Danice Day?

Sgt. Dusty Little, press officer Rio Grande County Sheriff's Office