Colorado sheriff, deputies indicted for alleged assault, abuse of corpse and other charges
An investigation by Colorado's 12th Judicial District Attorney led to the indictment of the Costilla County sheriff and other former and current employees on Thursday on various charges, including assault and abuse of a corpse.
Some of the charges are connected with the discovery and handling of human remains on Wild Horse Mesa. According to District Attorney Anne Kelly's office, a resident emailed them on Aug. 18, 2025, to report that they found human remains on their property, and that the remains were left there after it was reported to law enforcement.
Court documents say the resident found a "skull, dental work and other remains" on Oct. 2, 2024, and reported it to the sheriff's office. That person said that Sheriff Danny Sanchez took the skull from the scene, and no one came to gather the rest of the remains.
The police report on the incident was not written until Dec. 31, court records say, and was not officially approved until the following March. The court documents also detail how the skull was stored and handled improperly, and that the coroner wasn't contacted until after law enforcement had already removed the skull from the scene.
The resident said that when they later contacted the sheriff's office to ask about the case, the CCSO stated it had been closed.
The day after the resident contacted the DA's office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation sent investigators to the scene, where they found remains, clothing and a distinctive necklace. However, they were unable to locate the teeth the resident had found when the body was first discovered.
On Thursday, a grand jury issued indictments for Sheriff Sanchez and former Deputy Keith Schultz on charges of abuse of a corpse for their handling of the discovery of those remains and five counts each of official misconduct.
A grand jury also indicted Undersheriff Cruz Soto and the sheriff's son, Sgt. Caleb Sanchez, on Thursday, in connection with a separate case.
Soto was indicted on two counts of failing to intervene and one count of third-degree assault for alleged unlawful use of force against a resident suffering a mental health crisis in Feb. 2026. Caleb Sanchez was indicted on second and third assault charges in connection with the use of force in that case as well.
Court documents say that Sgt. Sanchez was talking with a suicidal man and tried to convince him to take himself to the hospital for an evaluation. The man reportedly walked away, and it became a foot chase involving multiple law enforcement officers. The man was allegedly Tased three times, once directly with the probes, and suffered a broken rib.
A person whose name is redacted testified that the deputies didn't document the incident and that the sheriff didn't seem to know about it. After the witness allegedly asked Sgt. Sanchez about his use of force, he said he was locked out of viewing the sheriff's office policies and he contacted District Attorney John Zachary.
CBS Colorado reached out to the Costilla County Sheriff's Office for comment, but as of the time of this story's publishing, has not yet received a response.
