Police in Colorado said they’ve arrested someone in connection with the shooting death of 19-year-old Natalie Bollinger.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said deputies booked Joseph Michael Lopez, 22, into jail Friday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder. A coroner’s report obtained by the Daily Camera revealed that Bollinger was shot in the head.
KDVR reported that Lopez came to the sheriff’s office on his own to answer questions. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said he and Bollinger briefly knew each other through social media.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a passerby found Bollinger’s body in an unincorporated region of Adams County on December 29, a day after she was seen leaving her parents’ home.
At the time, many in the community believed a man named Shawn Schwartz, 42, was involved in Bollinger’s death. On December 13, Bollinger took to Facebook and accused him of repeatedly calling and texting her.
Bollinger claimed she crossed paths with Schwartz two years earlier and that he relentlessly harassed her ever since. The teen said Schwartz would threaten to kill himself and recalled that he once sat in front her home for hours and honked his horn.
natalie marie bollinger
Posted by Shawn Schwartz on Friday, December 29, 2017
Reports indicated that Bollinger sought a restraining order against Schwartz two weeks before her disappearance. It was granted on December 22.
Since then, Schwartz has maintained his innocence–going so far to as deny his involvement during a Facebook livestream. At one point, police reportedly said they talked to Schwartz and that he was part of their investigation.
The autopsy report stated that Bollinger was shot in the left temple from close range. A gun was not found with her body, the Daily Camera reported.
Additionally, the report said she had a “potentially lethal” amount of heroin in her blood when she died. The coroner wrote that she had a history of heroin and methamphetamine use, noting needle tracks on her lower left bicep, inner elbow, and right hand.
Investigators said they don’t know the motive for the fatal shooting.
Records indicated that Lopez is being held at the Adams County Detention Facility without bond.
[Featured Image: Natalie Bollinger/Broomfield Police Department]
