Teen reported missing after crash found dead in field

WELD COUNTY, Colo. — An 18-year-old Hudson teen who was reported missing after a traffic crash early Saturday morning was found dead in a nearby field, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday.

Carlos Alberto Retana was the subject of a missing person report filed by his family when he failed to return home after leaving a friend’s house in Keenesburg around 12:30 a.m., according to the sheriff's office.

In a missing person bulletin , the sheriff’s office said Retana walked away from a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Weld County Road 59 and Weld County Road 8, and they were concerned for his safety.

Deputies responded to the crash scene at 12:44 a.m. Saturday.

Retana crashed into an unoccupied parked vehicle and took off on foot, leaving his damaged car behind, according to the sheriff's office. A fence was also damaged in the crash.

An immediate search of the area using drones came up empty. The sheriff's office said a K-9 unit was not deployed in the search because the crash scene area was contaminated by human odor from several individuals searching for the 18-year-old.

On Sunday evening, the Weld County Coroner’s Office was requested to respond to a field about one mile north of the crash scene where Retana’s body was located.

The final cause and manner of his death have yet to be determined.

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