Ignacio man arrested in connection with murder of Indigenous woman Raeanna "Nikki" Burch-Woodhull
An Ignacio man is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder in the death of Raeanna "Nikki" Burch-Woodhull. Burch-Woodhull, 28, an Indigenous woman from Ignacio, was the subject of a CBI Missing Endangered Alert.
Luis Raul Valenzuela, 34, was taken into custody on Saturday and remains at the La Plata County Jail. Investigators believe Valenzuela and Burch-Woodhull knew each other.
Law enforcement located the body of Burch-Woodhull in the area of Colorado State Highway 550 and County Road 310, south of Durango, on Dec. 3. An autopsy will be conducted by the La Plata County Coroner.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is working closely with the Ignacio Police Department, the 6th Judicial District Attorney's Office, La Plata County Coroner's Office, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office of the Department of Public Safety.