Chadwick was seventeen and a senior at Fort Morgan High School when she vanished under circumstances described in the "About" section of the Bring Kayla Chadwick Home Safely Facebook page:
Miss Kayla was ready to finish high school, and looking forward to beginning college. There are conflicting stories about her last moments, although it is known there was an argument between her and her boyfriend right before she was on her way home.That BF was Ivan Torralba, also a senior at Fort Morgan high; he's now nineteen. Kayla's family harbored suspicions about Torralba from the beginning. But the Facebook page kept the focus on Kayla, interspersing posts featuring missing posters.... ...and photos of Kayla.... ...with hopeful images like this one: Nonetheless, time passed without any sign of Kayla. Meanwhile, law enforcers in Fort Morgan kept digging for information -- and last November, Torralba was arrested.
The bust wasn't for Kayla's disappearance -- at least not directly. CBS4 reported at the time that a grand jury had been convened to explore the case, with Torralba among those called to testify. He was subsequently indicted, with charges against him including four perjury counts, plus destruction of evidence and attempting to influence a public servant. Here's the booking photo that resulted:
Nonetheless, the mystery of Kayla's disappearance continued to linger. Continue for more about Kayla Chadwick, including additional photos and a video. The Bring Kayla Chadwick Home page marked the one-year anniversary of the date she was reported missing with the following graphic: In the months since then, posts have appeared regularly. Here's one from June 16:Wondering when the Lord will see fit to allow the truth to come out and for Miss Kayla to be brought home safely. I know we do not get to understand the why's and the when, and that this lesson is not for who we might think it is for, but Dear Lord, this has been more Difficult for Kayla's family than it needs to be. I pray for you to show your mercy in all of this. It really is time to bring this child home to her family.... PLEASE!!!Just over a week later, on June 22, Robin Adams, Kayla's mom, noted that "we will be going back to court for Ivan's perjury July 11th in Sterling Colorado at 1:30 p.m." But by that time, Torralba was already in more trouble with the law. On June 18, police reportedly executed a search warrant on the home he shares with his family and found marijuana, possession of which remains illegal for those under 21. The pot also violated the $75,000 bond on which he'd been released, leading to him being taken back into custody.
In addition, Torralba's mother, Lucila Torralba, was busted on accusations of perjury before the grand jury and attempting to influence a public servant. She's currently free on band, but Ivan is in stir thanks to a considerably higher bond than the previous one: $250,000.
Days later, on June 27, human remains were found on the 19500 block of Morgan County Road W, not far from the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport. Yesterday, confirmed that they've been positively identified as Kayla Chadwick. Our condolences to her friends, family and loved ones.
At this point, the cause of Kayla's death hasn't been determined. Hence, no homicide charges have been issued in the name of Ivan Torralba or anyone else.
Look below to see the 7News report.
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