In the documentary ‘Valley of the Damned: The Absent Father,’ produced by Investigation Discovery, the grisly murder of Jim Durgan in Salida, Colorado, in July 2008 is investigated. His murderers were quickly apprehended by the authorities after a short manhunt on their part. The documentary does an excellent job of disentangling the many different aspects of this case and providing a distinct comprehension of how the events transpired. We’ve got you covered if you’re interested and want to find out more, including the most recent known whereabouts of the person responsible for the crime. Then, shall we just get started, will we?
How Did Jim Durgan Die?
On December 19, 1970, James Glenn “Jim” Durgan made his debut into the world in Salida, Colorado. He was a sociable and laid-back individual who enjoyed doing things in nature, particularly fishing and hunting. In the year 1990, he was in Phoenix, Arizona, when he was introduced to Kristin T. Durgan by a common friend. Kristin and Jim met, fell in love, and tied the knot in the city of Las Vegas on July 3, 1992. In 1998, they made the move back to Salida, and Jim explained his decision by saying that they wanted to “establish some roots.” According to what was seen on the episode, he held a prosperous position in the field of communications and was making close to $90 000 per year.
Despite the fact that Jim was compelled to be away from home during the week due to the nature of his business, he made it a point to return on the weekends to be with his family, which included his wife and his children, Andrew and Elisabeth. In addition to this, he was the stepfather of Nicholas Ayers. Kristin placed a call to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office on July 11, 2008, in which she reported that her husband had gone missing and that she believed he had been taken by another person.
After beginning their search for Jim, the officers located him and his abandoned vehicle in the Lone Pine Recreational Area, which is located on the outskirts of Fremont County. The Arkansas River was searched by law enforcement on July 19, 2008, and they located a body there. The body was bloated and disfigured, making it impossible to recognise who had been there. The dental records were consulted by the medical examiner in order to confirm that Jim’s body belonged to him. His head had also been injured by blunt force, according to the postmortem report, and he had two bullet holes in his skull.
Who is to Blame for Jim Durgan’s Death?
The investigators started looking into Kristin Durgan when she provided a very unsettling picture of her marriage to Jim, which prompted the investigators to start looking into her. According to the narrative of the show, Kristin was given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder two years after her wedding, at which point she had also developed an addiction to gambling. Keeping daughter away from gambling establishments was a primary motivation for the couple’s decision to go back to Salida. On the other hand, the episode said that Kristin had located a casino in Cripple Creek and that she used to frequent it until her debt became too big and her husband caught her.
The show claims that Jim tried to help Kristin overcome her gambling addiction by checking her into treatment twice, but she was unable to overcome it. Instead, the financial load grew too high, and Jim was forced to take out a second mortgage on their home in order to rescue them from going bankrupt. This was the only way they could save from losing their home. In addition, it was claimed on the episode that in March of 2008, Jim arrived home to discover that his wife had been having an affair. It was the final nail in the coffin for him. Subsequently, Jim left the house and relocated to Wyoming, where he began dating a local woman and had plans to eventually marry her and start a family with her.
A mutually agreeable divorce settlement was being worked out between Jim and Kristen. Although he continued to spend the weekends at his childhood home with his family, Jim began to spending the nights in a hotel in Canon City. It came to his attention that Andrew Tanner, Kristin’s lover, had taken up residence in his home. Because Jim had ceased giving Kristin any additional money, she was compelled to get a work at a pizza joint in the neighbourhood. There, she became acquainted with Andrew, who was employed by the restaurant as a delivery driver. The investigation into Andrew revealed that he had prior convictions for criminal acts, and the officers also discovered Jim’s concerns regarding Andrew’s possession of firearms when Jim’s children were around.
Andrew was taken in for interrogation on the 22nd of July, 2008. the year was 2008. After initially remaining silent during the interview, he slowly began to give off the impression that he was guilty and eventually exercised his right to counsel. Even though they were forced to let him go, the police maintained their investigation into Andrew. They searched over his phone records and found that on the night Jim vanished, there were some strange late-night calls, some of which occurred after 1 am. The calls were made to Brian Folsom, who was on parole at the time and used meth; he also had a history of mental health problems.
When the authorities learned that Brian had previously worked at Andrew’s place of employment, they quickly identified additional evidence that connected the two men. In addition to it, he had a lengthy criminal history. During the course of the interview, Brian finally broke down and admitted his involvement in the murder of Jim. He asserted that Andrew had compensated him financially to abduct Jim from the Lone Pine Recreational Area on July 10, 2008 and transport him to a secluded location in Fremont County known as Dirty Gulch, which is located near Cotopaxi. Jim had been taken there from the Lone Pine Recreational Area. Brian used phone lines to bind Jim to a tree, then shackled Jim’s hands to the tree, and finally taped Jim’s eyes and mouth shut with duct tape.
Brian continued by saying that he went back to Andrew after that and that Andrew returned later to kill Jim and dispose of his body. Kristin called the police to let them know that she had some information that she could provide about her boyfriend, Andrew, while they were analysing all of this material. She said this on the 28th of August, 2008, saying that Andrew was the one who killed Jim out of jealously. However, the authorities were not fooled by her lies. In the beginning, Kristin claimed that Jim had been attempting to make amends with her, but Jim’s girlfriend who lives in Wyoming stated that this was not the case.
In addition, the investigation revealed that Kristin stood to gain around half a million dollars if Jim were to pass away prior to the court settlement of their divorce case. When Kristin was confronted with all of these facts, in addition to Brian’s confession, she broke down and admitted that she was the one who had lured Jim to the Lone Pine Recreation Area by using their children as bait, and she also admitted that she had suggested to Andrew that he kill her husband. In 2008, criminal charges were brought against Kristin, Brian, and Andrew in connection with the slaying of Jim.
Who knows what’s going on with Kristin Durgan, Brian Folsom, and Andrew Tanner right now?
On July 10, 2009, Brian Folsom entered a guilty plea to charges of kidnapping and second-degree murder, for which he was ultimately given a sentence of 48 years in prison. His application for post-conviction relief was denied in April of 2014, despite his efforts to get it granted. In the moment, the man, who is 43 years old, is being held in custody at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, which is located in Crowley County, Colorado. According to the information contained in his prison file, the expected date he will become eligible for parole is August 20th, 2040.
In September 2009, Andrew Tanner was given a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release after being found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, and violent crime. He was sentenced to this punishment. The man, who is 36 years old and spending his sentence in a cell at the Limon Correctional Facility in Lincoln County, Colorado, according to the official court records, is now serving his sentence.
In April 2009, Kristin entered a guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder as well as kidnapping, and she also testified against Andrew while he was on trial. She was given a prison term of 54 years for her crime. According to the most recent documents submitted to the court, the woman, who is 54 years old, is currently serving her sentence in the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility (DWCF) in Denver, Colorado. According to the information contained inside her prison file, the expected date at which she will become eligible for parole is March 6, 2043.