 Good afternoon. My name is Matt Clark. I'm the commander of the Denver Police Department's Major Crimes Division. Thank you for being here today as we provide an update in the missing person homicide investigation involving James Montoya. This has been a very complex investigation over the past several months that included multiple investigative units within the Denver Police Department as well as assistance from several law enforcement agencies across the state. Today we are here with Mr. Montoya's family to announce the identification of the individual who we believe is responsible for Mr. Montoya's death and to request the community's assistance in the apprehension of this individual. I'm extremely proud of the investigative work that went into this case and greatly appreciate the assistance we received from law enforcement agencies. I also recognize the tremendous void that exists in the Montoya family after the loss of James. We not only express our condolences to the family and friends but we'll also continue to stand by you as we move through the next process of holding the offenders responsible for his death. Recognizing there's a prosecution, likely in this case, I will be limited in some of the information I can provide and questions I can answer. But to the degree we are able, I will address questions at the end. For background, Mr. Montoya was reported missing on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023. It was reported that he was last known to be at the Hangar 101 Bar in Lakewood, which is near Wadsworth and Jewel Street. Later that day, after not being heard from, the family became concerned and he was reported as a missing person. Investigators from the Denver Police Department's missing persons unit initially looked into the case and did significant work to attempt to determine Mr. Montoya's movements after leaving the bar. It appears Mr. Montoya voluntarily left the bar with several individuals who he met while at the Hangar Bar. We do not believe there was any connection between Mr. Montoya or the individuals he met that night. As the investigation continued over the next several weeks, it became evident to investigators that Mr. Montoya was likely deceased. On May 22nd, 2023, members of the Denver Police Department's homicide unit were brought in to assist with the investigation. On July 26th, 2023, there was a significant break in the case when members of the Sewatch County Sheriff's Office and Colorado Bureau of Investigations located human remains in an open area north of the Sewatch Municipal Airport. Through the investigation, detectives learned Mr. Montoya was in a vehicle near 48th Avenue and Banach Street in Denver on an argument involving Mr. Montoya ensued. The argument escalated and Mr. Montoya was shot and killed inside the vehicle. It is believed the offender transported Mr. Montoya to Sewatch County later that day. On September 5th, 2023, investigators arrested 30-year-old Amber Jean Dominguez, who has been formally charged by the Denver District Attorney's Office as an accessory to first-degree murder after the fact. Investigators have obtained an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Jesus Angel Arvizo ARVIZO for the charge of first-degree murder in relation to this case. The Denver District Attorney's Office will ultimately determine the charges to be filed against Mr. Arvizo once he's arrested. With support from our partners with the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, as well as Mr. Montoya's family, we're here to ask our community for assistance in locating Mr. Arvizo. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to call Denver Metro Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP. Information can be submitted anonymously and may result in an award. I would now like to turn it over to Mr. and Mrs. Montoya. Thank you everyone who's here. As you can imagine, this is the worst nightmare a family can experience. We are asking for the community's help in helping us locate Mr. Arvizo. We know he's hiding. We believe he's hiding. And we just ask the community's help. He's a dangerous person. And our family is just, we're in pain, and we'd like some resolution, a final resolution to this case. John, my son, did you want to have something to say? Come on up real quick. Could you please say your name? Yeah, say who you are. My name is Judan Montoya. I'm James' older brother, the oldest of the siblings. I am begging for any help that we can get from anybody in this state and city anywhere around to give us some information about my brother. He's his laughter, his joy, his heart, his courage and passion were so strong from when we were young fishing with our grandparents and my family too. Just going to concerts, just hanging out, riding bikes on the street. He was the lifeline of the neighborhood. Everyone would know who James was. And the fact that he was taking from us at such an early time and unexpected time, it's just, it's heartbreaking and we want justice to be given for my brother. So please, please just give us any information you can about where our visa might be. Thank you. Thank you. My daughter Jaylee also wants to say something out of the way. My name is Jaylee Montoya. I am the youngest of the siblings and James was my older brother and my best friend when he was here and I just want to say, hey Seuss, if you're watching this, please turn yourself in. Think of this as your family. You're only making it harder for yourself by running. So please turn yourself in. People, even if you have an inkling of where he could be, just think about that. Something small, something big, whatever it is, just report it to the police. This is my brother. This is our family and we love him and miss him. Thank you. Anyone else? I'd like to just one last word. I don't know if I'll get a chance or if this will get edited out or not to have Hey Seuss look into the cameras and see the family standing here but if if he hears this, if you hear this, Hey Seuss, I just want you to know I did warn you that day that this day would come and what I didn't get a chance to tell you was that I could only imagine what you were thinking like what was I thinking or whatever you snapped whatever but we all have our moments but I'll tell you what but it's not it's not too late if you're alive and you can hear this and you think you have enough courage to come forward then do what's right and God will honor that do what's right. You've heard a family. We've all heard people but it's not too late and come and do your time but it's time to pay the pay the piper and we're here we're not going to stop until we do find you and also for all the officers involved, all the detectives, all the detective work. I cannot say thank you enough. You guys are our heroes. You're warriors. You're at the front lines and and we love that and God bless you guys too. Thank you. If we may ask a question. Yes, sir. What were your thoughts but if you sent that into the Fox 31. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Yeah. Sorry for your loss. Thank you. What was my understanding is that y'all had some contact with this person before when you heard that he was a suspect in this case. What went to your mind? It's a question for both of you, please. Well, um and I hear you say when we heard that he was a suspect, we I don't want to say this too boastful or whatever. We we knew he was a suspect. We knew something was wrong the minute we were talking with him on the phone and we could pick up on his tone of voice the way things he was avoiding question. So so we knew something that he was there and um that he was responsible for it and that's the day that the next day is when I warned him on the phone that's in this is it's going to come down to work. We're going to find my son's body and you are going to have to deal with this eventually. So let's do it now or do it later. And of course, right, like a lot of us, we run scared and think we're going to get away with it. But anyway, so yeah, I don't know if I'm getting little sidetracked there. I digress sometimes. Well, I just um to me, I just it sounded as if somebody who um liked my son who was friendly with my son and to me that just shows the cold um the seared conscience that he has to be able to you know talk um in a normal tone of voice be fine and um you know say nothing happened when we we we believe something did happen. I do have a follow-up. What what has it been like this entire time just not knowing what might have happened to him? That's not as much. Well as you can all imagine putting yourself in our shoes. I mean it's the it's the worst nightmare. I mean you your mind can't can't yeah can't even put words to it wondering what happened to our loved one. Um you know a million thoughts go through your mind. You wake up with dreams. You think about them all day. You um you know finding finding him was nothing short of a miracle. And um the detective on the case, I'm not sure if I should say his name or not. Detective Adam Golden. He's been nothing but amazing and uh just I can't say enough good things about him but so the worst nightmare is really all I can describe it as. Thanks for the time. I work for nine years. Thank you for getting here. Sure thank you. Were you familiar with Jesus at all prior to this then? Prior to that phone call? Not at all. Never. Not at all. First time we met him was on the phone and several hours after he had just finished burying my son which we had no idea. So did he call you? No we we were able to get his phone number um a whole of his number through the landlord's phone type thing and then we just happened to you know look over the shoulder click take picture snap call it and he answered and then he answered two or three more times after that too. So. But he said he needed your son? Yeah he he was yeah he did he said um yeah he says oh he was a cool guy he says we were playing pool really cool guy and yeah we we dropped him off at the club and we that was the last time we saw him and so and I'm trying to be careful with my words too and not give too much information so. But he said just to clarify he said he knew him that night so just yes not not previous to that. I'm sorry yeah I met him that night. You guys speak Spanish? My husband does. Yeah. Yeah because it's important to put this this message out there in both language so I don't know if you have something to say in Spanish for also very community trying to help locate in the suspect. Yeah I'd probably turn it into a comedy show and I don't want to do that right now but and I'm not trying to be comedian right now but one thing when I get around the Mexican people I wish I could speak that good fluence but my heart is there just this warm heart like yes but one thing people know me for that um close friends that are from Mexico that speak real that just they're the real deal Spanish and um one of my favorite things that we connect with people and I say gloria Dios gloria Dios and that's what I'll say there is the I can give a few more things but to the people yeah go ahead um my son's girlfriend um is bilingual so if she feels comfortable maybe another time yeah be able to share this information that would be something she could do and I see that you guys are very spiritual throughout this moment I understand but it's a heavy loss within your family so how would you guys be able to keep living and keep moving forward with this loss within your family? You know what this doesn't change that God is good regardless um this happened because some individual um made a really bad decision a dumb decision a senseless decision that doesn't change who the Lord is and so that's what we stand on it's God is good regardless thank you thank you so much now Commander who's a follow-up to a comment you made at the beginning about this Dominguez person the argument can you give us a little bit more context to that please so we're not able to give additional context as to what the argument was inside the vehicle at this point but that was kind of what precipitated the shooting of Mr Montoya was it presumed that Dominguez was in the car at the time of this incident? She was. Can we get spelling on your names? Sure C-O-R-I-N-N-A and then Montoya M-O-N-T-O-A and Eddie E-D-D-I-E J-A-A-L-I Can you say allow? J-E-L-E-J-A-A-L-I Judon J-U-D-N-A-V-O-N-S-N-N-T Commander the name of Dominguez can you can you see that name please again you bet and you have a date of birth I don't have a date of birth on me she's 30 years old we can get that for you after it's Amber Jean Dominguez D-O-M-I-N-G-U-E-Z What was the day she was arrested? She was arrested on September 5th okay when was that when did that argument take place? That it actually happened later uh that more or so the early morning hours of April 2nd for the Montoya family was he my understanding he was headed mostly for the marines and was going to the marines when would he be going to the marines? That was all being taken care of in fact he had a an appointment the very next morning on up on April the third and with the recruiter he had been in contact with that they were working towards that um I guess that date and so What's the watch connection? Is this from there? He has he's familiar with the area I'm not sure what his if he had residents there previously but we know him to be familiar with that area and the Alamosa area as well. And I assume you've eliminated his remains from the ones that were found on the 22nd Suzanne Morphew? Correct. There's we don't have a connection between the Suzanne Morphew case correct. How far away were the remains from each other? I'm not sure. Would you say they were in the general area or that part of the county? I'm just told they're in Swatch County I'm not sure how big that county is or how far You just found this near the municipal airport right? I was told it was north of the municipal airport off of a county road. Excellent thank you sorry go ahead sir. Yeah and the reward how much is I'm sorry I missed here the reward right now it's at $2,000 up to $2,000 for information again it can be reported anonymously through the Crime Stopper 720913 stop. You can call 9-1-1 if you see him and we will get officers over there to attempt to apprehend an individual. Thank you.