Charges Filed In Mountain Bike Pioneer’s Disappearance, Death

<p>Photo: Courtesy of Grit and Thistle Film Company</p>
<p>Mike Rust in Salida.</p>
Photo: Mike Rust in Salida mountain bike film CROPPED
Mike Rust in Salida.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Saguache County Sheriff's Office and the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced Monday that an arrest warrant has been issued for Charles Moises Gonzales. Gonzales is currently in a Canon City prison on unrelated charges, a CBI press release said.

Rust was living in the northern San Luis Valley when he disappeared in 2009. His family believes his house was broken into and that he went after the burglars alone.

"Investigators do not believe Gonzales and Rust were known to one another," the CBI press release says. "Details about the events leading to Rust’s death are part of the active investigation."

Rust's remains were found earlier this year and confirmed as his in April.

Rust's brother, Paul, told CPR News in April that he thinks a 2015 documentary, "The Rider & The Wolf" helped raise awareness about the case -- and led to an anonymous tip that led investigators to the remains.

Mike Rust was inducted into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame in 1991. He helped popularize the sport in Crested Butte and Salida in the 1980s.