Pueblo coroner identifies two victims killed in Monday crash

Two people killed in a vehicle collision on Monday were identified Friday by the Pueblo County coroner.

Esmerelda Gamboa Gonzalez, 20, of Rocky Ford, and Leon Montoya, 18, of Pueblo, died in the two-vehicle crash on April 1.

Pueblo police responded at approximately 8 a.m. that day to the U.S. Highway 50 Bypass at Norwood Avenue to a report of a vehicle collision, police said in a Wednesday news release.

Police determined a two-vehicle wreck had occurred. The driver of one of the vehicles, identified Friday morning as Gonzalez, was declared dead on the scene. A passenger in the same vehicle, identified Friday as Montoya, sustained life-threatening injuries, according to Sgt. Frank Ortega, a spokesperson for the Pueblo Police Department. Montoya was transported to a local hospital for treatment but died Wednesday of his injuries.

The driver of the other vehicle was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital. Pueblo PD's traffic and crime scene investigations units are investigating the death. The investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made as of Friday afternoon, Ortega said. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash.

This is the sixth traffic fatality in the city of Pueblo this year.

Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged by Pueblo PD to contact police dispatch at 719-553-2502 or Cpl. Chris Timme at 719-553-2453. To remain anonymous, contact Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-STOP (719-542-7867) or pueblocrimestoppers.com. Information that leads to a felony arrest could qualify its submitting party for a cash reward.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formally known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain atsubscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo coroner IDs two people killed in crash on Monday