More than a year after a hiker found a body hidden under tarps and blankets near Mirror Lake in Wyoming’s Snowy Range, the case is closed: Jaymz Bitner has pleaded guilty to killing his adoptive father and dumping the body across state lines.
Bitner, from Gilpin County, Colorado, pleaded guilty on Sept. 14 to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 24 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
The victim, 56-year-old James “Jim” Bitner, was discovered around 8 p.m. on July 4, 2024, by a hiker in the popular Mirror Lake area—a high-country spot known for easy access to rugged views and alpine lakes. Authorities initially labeled the remains “John Doe,” but quickly identified them as Jim Bitner.
Investigators from multiple agencies—the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and Wyoming DCI, along with the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado 1st Judicial DA—pieced together what happened. According to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, Jim Bitner was killed Nov. 12, 2023, at his home in Gilpin County.
A friend of Jaymz told deputies that Jaymz had confided details of the killing and asked for help disposing of the body; the friend refused and reported it, prompting a welfare check that turned up nothing suspicious at the time.
Witnesses later told investigators that father and son had argued over Jaymz potentially being evicted. In the aftermath of that fight, Jaymz shot his father in the back of the head. His defense argued the killing followed years of emotional abuse.
Cellphone data tracked Jaymz heading north toward Mirror Lake Nov. 16–17, 2023. Two people said they ran into him at the lake entrance that morning; he claimed he was there with a friend to watch the sunrise. They didn’t know about the crime then, but after seeing the initial press release, they reported the encounter and later picked Jaymz out of a photo lineup.
From the lake, investigators say, Jaymz drove west to Saratoga, then east on the interstate to Cheyenne. He asked another friend for gas money—offering silver coins—and admitted he had just dumped his father’s body.
Jaymz Bitner was arrested in Gilpin County on July 28, 2024—24 days after the body was found and nearly a year after the killing. In Albany County, detectives McKinney and Curtis led the investigation.
“We extend our condolences to the Bitner family and all those affected by this,” the sheriff’s office said.
The original story by for Cap City News.
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