5-year-old boy missing after mother found shot to death in home, Colorado sheriff says

A search continues for a missing 5-year-old boy whose mother was found shot dead in their home July 2, Colorado authorities reported.

Helliono Martinez, 5, vanished July 16 after a court granted the state emergency custody of him, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a Tuesday, July 23, news release.

The bureau and Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office are jointly investigating his disappearance.

He was last seen with his father, Charles Martinez, 43, in a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup truck in Cortez, officials said. The truck was later found abandoned.

Chrystal Snow, 39, Helliono’s mother, was found shot dead in her Pagosa Springs home after a 911 call from the home, officials said. Helliono, who was not home, was later found at an aunt’s home.

No suspects have been named in the shooting, officials said.

“There is growing concern for the boy’s well-being,” officials said in the release.

Authorities ask anyone with information to call 911 or the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office at 970-565-8452.

Pagosa Springs is about a 275-mile drive southwest from Denver near the New Mexico border.

This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 1:40 PM with the headline "5-year-old boy missing after mother found shot to death in home, Colorado sheriff says."