Man arrested in Arkansas for allegedly forcing man to take deadly dose of meth in Colorado in 2022

A 2022 death in western Colorado, initially believed to be an accidental overdose, is now believed to have involved a man who was forced at gunpoint to ingest a deadly dose of methamphetamine. The suspect in that case was recently arrested in Arkansas and now faces charges of manslaughter, false imprisonment, and more in Mesa County.

On Feb. 3, 2022, Grand Junction police officers did a welfare check on a man under the 5th Street bridge. When they arrived, they found a man, later identified as 26-year-old Kurt Abney, dead with drug paraphernalia nearby. Investigators initially thought Abney died of an accidental overdose.

Almost a year later, Grand Junction police said they received new information that pointed toward a new narrative; Abney was allegedly forced at gunpoint to ingest the methamphetamine that killed him.

Police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Joshua Mayfield.

A warrant was issued for his arrest at the time on charges of manslaughter, second-degree assault, felony menacing, false imprisonment, and distribution of a schedule 2 controlled substance.

Earlier this week, Grand Junction police say they learned Mayfield was in Cleburne County, Arkansas, about 60 miles north of Little Rock. The Cleburne County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him there and Grand Junction detectives interviewed him.

Mayfield is being held without bond. Details surrounding his extradition and a court date in Mesa County were not immediately available through court records.