Two months before authorities found partial remains of Colorado boy Dylan Redwine, his father allegedly visited his gravesite, according to testimony Tuesday.
According to testimony by Dylan’s stepfather, Mark Hall, Mark Redwine was driving his white pickup truck down Middle Mountain Road in Vallecito on April 13, 2013. Hall testified that he pulled in over in the secluded area to use the restroom when he spotted the suspect.
“It appeared to me that he was trying to put a great deal of distance between him and I,” Hall said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Redwine, the divorced father of 13-year-old Dylan, is on trial in Denver for allegedly murdering his son in November 2012 and hiding the child’s remains in the woods. Prosecutors alleged that Redwine killed in a fit of rage over photos showing him dressed in women’s underwear while eating feces from a diaper.
Redwine has maintained his innocence from the beginning, claiming that he left his home near Durango to run errands and returned home to find his son missing. Dylan was visiting his father at the time for Thanksgiving break after a judge ordered the visitation.
In late 2012, volunteer search teams and authorities began scouring the area around Redwine’s home for months. The search proved to be difficult since Durango is at an elevation of 6,512 feet with steep canyons and mountains.
In June 2013, two months after Hall allegedly spotted Redwine, searchers found a few of Dylan’s bones, a part of his shirt, a sock, and his shoestring close to the same area where Hall reportedly saw the suspect. Searchers found his remains in an area difficult to get to, especially for a young boy or for someone who doesn’t know the area well.
Authorities also found Dylan’s Nike shoe close to the service gate that blocks Middle Mountain Road.
“It was fairly steep and rugged,” Dan Patterson, a former La Plata County Sheriff’s Office investigator, said on Tuesday. “A shred of underwear, earbuds, and scraps of clothes were found at the site that looked like it was a dumpsite for the body.”
Investigators also found Dylan’s blood inside Redwine’s residence, in several different locations. Cadaver dogs picked up death scents in the laundry room, living room, and kitchen.
The defense argued that the blood found was “infinitesimally small” and could have happened to anyone who lives in a house. Defense attorney John Moran added that dog-sniffing death scent techniques are “junk science.”
Redwine’s defense lawyer argued that Dylan ran away from Redwine’s home and was likely killed by a mountain lion or bear. The prosecution said Dylan was found without his backpack or wallet, two things he would have taken if he ran away.
Testimony will resume Wednesday. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Dylan Redwine/Handout]
