Lovely view? Realtor finds it included a body

Rosa Ramirez, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 26, 2007 at midnight

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The real estate listing prices the home near Morrison at $390,000, says it sits on nearly three acres, and notes the promise of a wonderful view of Denver’s nighttime skyline.

But a real estate agent and a prospective buyer found something they weren't expecting on the property Monday.

It was the body of a man, a body that apparently had been there for some time.

"At first I thought, ‘Is somebody taking a siesta?’" said Brenda Flick, the real estate agent, today. "It was quickly very apparent from the state (of the body) that no, he wasn’t just taking a siesta."

Flick, owner of RealPro Real Estate Professional, she and her client looked at each other in silence after they realized it was a body.

"You’re not real sure what to say," she said.

Investigators are still trying to identify the man found outside the vacant home in the 8400 block of Scenic Drive. The case is being investigated as a homicide.

Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, could not be specific on what type of trauma the body had sustained.

Based on the decomposition of the body, authorities believe it had been there for a while.

The victim was described as of unknown age and race, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, medium build, with a long black ponytail. He was wearing a gray T-shirt with the word DECA on the left breast, newer blue jeans and brown work shoes.

Flick said she normally inspects the homes before she shows them to clients. This time she decided to meet her client there.

Flick said she wanted to show her client the view from the deck, which is off the master bedroom.

"It’s a very nice contemporary home. It’s situated where where it looks over the city’s night life. It’s nice and secluded," Flick said.

That’s when her client pointed at something and asked, "What’s that?"

Flick recalls, "I was seeing, tree, rock, rock, tree, body."

She then called police.

"It’s not something that you find everyday, thank God," she said, adding that the most outrageous thing she has seen during house showings are odd decorations and "stunning colors."

"I think I have my quote for the year."

Flick said she hopes police are able to identify the man.

"After the shock wears off, you realize that someone has lost a family member. Our condolences go to the family," she said.

Flick said the client is "taking some time off from looking at homes."

The house has been temporarily withdrawn from the market because it’s now part of a crime scene, she said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 303-271-5612.

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