Valley of the Damned: The Absent Father, a documentary produced by Investigation Discovery, investigates the July 2008 gruesome murder of Jim Durgan in Salida, Colorado. His killers were quickly arrested by the authorities after a brief manhunt on their part. The documentary does an excellent job of untangling the many different aspects of this case and providing a clear understanding of how the events transpired. We’re here if you’re interested and want to know more, including the latest known whereabouts of the person responsible for the crime. Let’s just get started then, shall we?
How did Jim Durgan die?
On December 19, 1970, James Glenn “Jim” Durgan made his world debut in Salida, Colorado. He was a sociable and easygoing person who enjoyed doing things in nature, especially fishing and hunting. In 1990, he was in Phoenix, Arizona when he was introduced by a mutual friend, Kristin T. Durgan. Kristin and Jim met, fell in love and were married on July 3, 1992 in the city of Las Vegas. In 1998, they moved back to Salida, and Jim explained his decision by saying that they “wanted to start some roots.” According to what was seen in the episode, he held a successful position in communications, earning nearly $90,000 per year.
Despite the fact that the nature of his business forced Jim to be away from home during the weekdays, he made a point of returning on the weekends to be with his family, which included his wife and children, Andrew and belonged to Elizabeth. He was also the stepfather of Nicholas Ayers. Kristin called the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office on July 11, 2008, where she reported that her husband had gone missing and that she believed he had been kidnapped by someone else.
After beginning a search for Jim, officers located him and his abandoned vehicle in the Lone Pine Recreational Area, located on the outskirts of Fremont County. The Arkansas River was searched by law enforcement on July 19, 2008, and they found a body there. The body was bloated and disfigured, making it impossible to tell who had been there. The dental records were consulted by the coroner to confirm that Jim’s body belonged to him. His head had also been injured by blunt force, according to the autopsy report, and he had two bullet holes in his skull.
Who is to blame for Jim Durgan’s death?
Investigators began investigating Kristin Durgan when she provided a very disturbing picture of her marriage to Jim, prompting investigators to investigate her. According to the show’s narration, Kristin was diagnosed with bipolar disorder two years after her marriage, by which time she had also developed a gambling addiction. Keeping the daughter away from gambling establishments was a key motivation behind the couple’s decision to return to Salida. On the other hand, it was said in the episode that Kristin had located a casino in Cripple Creek and that she used to frequent it until her debt got too big and her husband caught her.
The show claims Jim tried to help Kristin overcome her gambling addiction by taking her for treatment twice, but she couldn’t get over it. Instead, the financial burden became too much and Jim was forced to take out a second mortgage on her house to save her from bankruptcy. This was the only way they could save the loss of their homeland. Additionally, the episode alleged that Jim came home in March 2008 to find that his wife was having an affair. For him it was the last nail in the coffin. Jim then left home and moved to Wyoming where he began dating a local woman and had plans to eventually marry her and start a family with her.
An amicable divorce settlement was worked out between Jim and Kristen. Although he continued to spend weekends with his family at his childhood home, Jim began spending the nights in a Canon City hotel. He learned that Andrew Tanner, Kristin’s lover, had moved into his home. Because Jim stopped giving Kristin extra money, she was forced to work at a neighborhood pizza joint. There she met Andrew, who was employed as a delivery driver at the restaurant. Andrew’s investigation revealed that he had a criminal record, and officers also discovered Jim’s concerns about Andrew’s possession of firearms when Jim’s children were around.
Andrew was taken for questioning on July 22, 2008. The year was 2008. After initially remaining silent during the interview, he slowly began to appear guilty and eventually exercised his right to legal counsel. Despite being forced to let him go, the police continued their investigation into Andrew. They searched his phone records and discovered that there were some strange late-night calls the night Jim disappeared, some occurring after 1am. The calls went to Brian Folsom, who was on probation and using meth at the time; He also had a history of mental health problems.
Upon learning that Brian had previously worked at Andrew’s job, authorities quickly identified additional evidence linking the two men. In addition, he had a long criminal record. During the course of the interview, Brian finally broke down and admitted his involvement in Jim’s murder. He claimed Andrew financially compensated him for abducting Jim from the Lone Pine Recreational Area on July 10, 2008 and taking him to a remote location in Fremont County known as Dirty Gulch, located near Cotopaxi. Jim had been taken there from the Lone Pine Recreational Area. Brian used phone lines to tie Jim to a tree, then tied Jim’s hands to the tree, and finally taped Jim’s eyes and mouth shut.
Brian continued by saying that he returned to Andrew afterwards and that Andrew later returned to kill Jim and dispose of his body. Kristin called the police to let them know that she might have some information on her boyfriend Andrew while they analyzed all of this footage. She said this on August 28, 2008, saying that Andrew was the one who killed Jim out of jealousy. However, the authorities were not fooled by their lies. Initially, Kristin claimed Jim tried to reconcile with her, but Jim’s friend, who lives in Wyoming, stated that wasn’t the case.
In addition, the investigation found that Kristin would win around half a million dollars if Jim died before their divorce case went to court. When confronted with all of these facts in addition to Brian’s confession, Kristin broke down and admitted that she was the one who lured Jim into the Lone Pine Recreation Area by using her children as bait, and she also admitted that that she had done it, Andrew suggested killing her husband. In 2008, criminal charges were filed against Kristin, Brian and Andrew in connection with the murder 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 kidnapping and second-degree murder, for which he was ultimately sentenced to 48 years in prison. His request for post-conviction exoneration was denied in April 2014, despite efforts to have it granted. The 43-year-old man is currently being held at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Crowley County, Colorado. According to the information in his prison record, the expected date when he will be eligible for parole is August 20, 2040.
In September 2009, Andrew Tanner was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of release after being found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and violent crimes. He was sentenced to this punishment. The man, who is 36 and is serving his sentence in a cell at the Limon Correctional Facility in Lincoln County, Colorado, according to official court records, is now serving his sentence.
In April 2009, Kristin entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder and kidnapping, and also testified against Andrew while he was in court. She was sentenced to 54 years in prison for her crime. According to the most recent documents presented to the court, the 54-year-old woman is currently serving her sentence at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility (DWCF) in Denver, Colorado. According to the information in her prison record, the expected date on which she will be eligible for parole is March 6, 2043.