‘Someone did this to her’: Father pleads for answers after daughter found dead in middle of road

A Colorado family is seeking answers after a woman was found dead on the Fourth of July. (Source: KKTV)
Published: Jul. 9, 2024 at 2:44 PM CDT

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A father in Colorado wants answers after his daughter was found dead in the middle of the road on the Fourth of July.

Jose Llanos said he was with his 24-year-old daughter, Tatiana, for most of the evening while celebrating the holiday and didn’t know that would be the last time he saw her alive.

“I opened the door and a lieutenant introduced herself along with the coroner and asked if I was Tatiana’s father,” Llanos said.

According to Llanos, Fountain police visited the family’s house late that evening to tell him that his daughter was dead.

“The way it was described to me, the way she was found … it looked like she was left like a bag of trash,” Llanos said.

According to the Fountain Police Department, an El Paso County Deputy was patrolling Fountain Mesa Road on July 4 at 10:30 p.m. when he found the woman on the road.

Officers said first responders tried to help the woman, but their attempts were unsuccessful.

According to investigators, she was not shot or run over.

The El Paso County Coroner’s Office has not immediately released how the woman died or her identity.

“There is just no way possible that she would’ve done something to herself. There’s a high possibility that someone did this to her. I don’t know if this was intentional. Maybe they got scared, maybe there was an altercation, maybe something went too far,” Llanos said.

Llanos said that his daughter was going out with friends that night and someone must know what happened.

“Just put yourselves in our perspective ... after enjoying a great day with your family, you get told that your daughter was found like a bag of trash in the middle of the road. Would you want that? And if it was an accident, say something,” Llanos said.

Fountain police said they are investigating.

The Llanos family has started a GoFundMe account for assistance.