The Denver Police Department is investigating the shooting deaths of two people found on the South Platte River Trail in the last week.

A woman was found dead at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday on the South Platte River Trail, under Interstate 70 in the area of East 45th Avenue and North Washington Street, and a man was found dead at 12:36 a.m. Saturday on the trail near the intersection of South Platte River Drive and West Florida Avenue.

Early findings show the deaths may be connected, according to the department. Both victims are believed to be homeless, though neither was found near an encampment.

Homeless advocates will be watching how the investigation develops, said Colorado Coalition for the Homeless spokesperson Cathy Alderman.

“Crime can happen to anyone, but if you have a safe place to store your belongings and be while you’re sleeping, you’re less likely to be a victim of crime compared to someone sleeping on the same street corner day after day,” Alderman said.

Alderman noted that when crime increases in the city, it also increases against people experiencing homelessness.

“I feel certain with this news that the unhoused community is going to be on higher alert and will fee more susceptible and more vulnerable until the police figure out what happened and if these people were targeted because they were experiencing homelessness or because there was something else going on,” Alderman said.

Investigators are seeking information related to the identity and location of an adult male suspect. No other identifying information was available, according to the department. Information can be reported to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7862.

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