Possible murder-suicide in Hartsel home

PARK COUNTY - Park County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a Hartsel home Friday night after a man called to say he'd shot the resident and was going to turn the gun on himself.

At the scene, about 10 miles south of Hartsel proper, sheriff's deputies discovered the bodies of James Tingle and Leonard Martinez.

According to a statement from the Park County Sheriff's Office, no motives have been identified and investigators from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation are examining the crime. The sheriff's office received the call shortly after 5 p.m.

Martinez lived in Park County for more than two decades. According to a neighbor, Martinez was known to have a firearm in his house for scaring off coyotes, but was not a violent person. His property, off County Road 53 and not far from Tingle's home where the two were found, is reported to have been listed for sale through Tingle.

Tingle, a 15-year South Park resident originally from North Carolina, was a real estate broker, past president of the Hartsel community organization and library. His wife, Evelyn Whatley, ran a store, Bayou Salado, in the same building as Tingle's real estate office.

No funeral arrangements were announced as of Sunday.

- Linda Balough contributed to this story.