Published on March 10, 2023
Arrest Made in 2017 Homicide
On May 18, 2017, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office responded to the intersection of WCR 136 and WCR 77 west of Hereford, CO to a report of a possible fatal traffic accident. The preliminary information suggested that the driver of an 18-wheeler semi-truck was performing maintenance on the vehicle when the vehicle unexpectedly moved, and the driver was run over by the vehicle; the driver was declared deceased at the scene.
Upon further investigation it was discovered the driver of the truck, 49-year-old Nathan Combs from Burns Wyoming, was not run over by the vehicle, but had died as the result of apparent gunshot wounds that were not self-inflicted.
Weld County detectives worked diligently to solve this case, conducting interviews and general investigation which led to a suspect, Mark Dean Switzer’s (DOB: 08/08/1951). Based on the compiled evidence, detectives contacted the Laramie County (Wyoming) Sheriff’s Office who assisted with securing a search warrant for Switzer’s home in Carpenter Wyoming. Together, Weld and Laramie County detectives executed the search warrant at Switzer’s home. Several firearms and ammunition were collected during the execution of the search warrant, which were sent for testing and analysis at the Northern Forensic Regional Laboratory, the FBI, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The results of the investigation and resulting lab analysis led to the arrest of Mark Switzer on March 9, 2023, for Murder in the First Degree (a class 1 felony).