Bizarre Death Case Connected To Cabin Full Of Explosives Takes New Turn

TURRET, Colo. (CBS4) – An autopsy has revealed that a 92-year-old man who was found dead in a cabin full of explosives in the tiny town of Turret died from a bullet, not an accidental explosion as previously thought.

According to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Department, Edwin Bartheld, 92, was found dead by a friend in a crawl space beneath his cabin in Turret Friday afternoon after friends became concerned because they hadn't heard from him in more than a week.

Turret is a place known primarily as an old mining town. The few homes in the old mining town are spread out and residents say that for most of the year there are only two or three people living in the town.

The bomb squad was back at the house for a second day to disable more ammunition that was found underneath the house. Detectives say it was well disguised in bags rigged with detonators.

Detectives are talking to a Florida couple who bought 50 acres of land from Bartheld to see if they know anything about the explosives on the property.

Investigators aren't sure if Bartheld's death was an accident, suicide or homicide.

One detective says it's a bizarre case that keeps getting stranger.

Some who know Bartheld say he's lived there since the 1970s and had a background in mining and surveying.

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