Bizarre Link From Dr. Cynthia Eason Murder to Dead Teen Found in Suitcase

There's a strange connection between the 2016 murder of a Burlington vet and the case of a body found in a suitcase more than five years earlier.

By Michael Roberts

May 4, 2016

Mug shots of Isaiah Churchwell and Dylan Eason. KDVR

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You've heard about the murder of Burlington's Dr. Cynthia Campbell Eason, and the arrest of two people for the crime: Dylan Eason, her nineteen-year-old stepson, and Isaiah Churchwell, 24.

Cynthia's grieving husband, Jon Eason, said he thought her killers deserved the death penalty — including Dylan, his son, if he's found guilty of the crime.

Now, we're learning about another bizarre twist: Churchwell is the brother of Joshua Churchwell, a teenager whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Denver's Ruby Hill Park in April 2011.

More than five years later, Joshua's murder remains unsolved.

Joshua was white, while Isaiah is black, yet they were part of a large and vibrant family assembled by Jan Churchwell.

As we reported in 2011, Jan and her husband, who served as Burlington's city administrator at the time, provided foster care for more than 100 children over the years — a display of largesse that won her recognition in "For All the Ways You Care," a contest sponsored by CVS pharmacies back in 2009.

The video entry from that contest is on view below — and it features images of Joshua.

But troubles during his teen years eventually led to Joshua leaving the family home.

In early 2011, when he was seventeen, he was in the custody of the Ridge View Youth Services Center. He wrestled for Ridge View, but during a meet at East High School in January, he ran away and hadn't been heard from since — until April 1 of that year, when two boys spotted a suitcase at Ruby Hill and discovered his body inside.

How he wound up inside the suitcase remains a mystery.

As reported by 9News, which confirmed the connection between Joshua and Isaiah with Jan, his cause of death is officially listed as "undetermined," and the Denver Police Department has designated it as a cold case.

The opposite is true of the murder of Cynthia, a popular Burlington veterinarian. At a hearing yesterday, the judge noted that the crimes Dylan and Isaiah are accused of committing could bring the death penalty.

Look below to see a file photo of Joshua, followed by two videos — the 2009 clip featuring Jan Churchwell and her family, and a 9News report about the latest developments in Cynthia's killing.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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