Investigators believe man chemically cremated teen's body

DENVER - The allegations read like a disturbing novel. A man in his 40s has a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy. The teen gets drunk in a remote cabin wakes up circumcised. After the teen goes to police, he's not heard from again. Police have told 9Wants to Know they now suspect the man, a chemist, chemically dissolved the boy's body.

That's why Denver Police and Clear Creek County Sheriff Deputies believe Ian Richardson, 16, of Denver, disappeared in 1992 after spending time with John Taylor, 63, of Denver.

Taylor appeared in court Thursday morning on unrelated child sex assault charges following claims earlier this year by 18-year-old and 21-year-old men who say Taylor abused them while they were underage. The cases are not related to Richardson's disappearance. The arraignment was continued to Oct. 1.

"You know a lot of cases haunt me and this is certainly one of them," Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office investigator Bruce Snelling said. Snelling is working the case with Denver Police.

Taylor has not been charged in Richardson's disappearance, but sealed court search warrant documents anonymously leaked to 9Wants to Know suggest Taylor and Richardson's sexual relationship came to an abrupt end at a remote mountain mining cabin near Two Brothers Mine. It's in Virginia Canyon near Idaho Springs in Clear Creek County.

In an exclusive jail house interview with 9Wants to Know, Taylor admits he had a sexual relationship with Richardson but denies playing a part in his mysterious disappearance.

The relationship started when Richardson was 13 and continued until his disappearance in 1992.

Court records show Richardson and Taylor took a 1989 camping trip when Richardson was 13.

Richardson reported in 1991 that Taylor sexually abused him on the camping trip. The Denver District Attorney's office charged Taylor with child sex abuse and harboring a runaway after Richardson's claim was made. Richardson also claimed Taylor abused him at Taylor's house in 1990.

"...Both cases were dismissed because Richardson had made a call to Taylor's defense attorney. During the call, the victim made statements that he has been untruthful. When the district attorney questioned Richardson regarding those statements he stated that his allegations were true," sealed court documents read.

Taylor, who was in his 40s at the time, denied an illegal relationship and was cleared of the charges.

That wasn't Richardson's only claim.

In 1992, police were back on Taylor's trail.

This time Richardson claimed he got drunk one night with Taylor at the remote cabin, according to court documents.

"Taylor provided brandy," investigators wrote after talking to Richardson. "Richardson passed out.

"He woke at approximately 10 p.m., he observed a bloody surgical knife, bloody gauze and a syringe located next to a bottle of Zilocaine, injectable pain medication. Richardson related he then discovered the reason for the blood upon seeing bloody gauze on his penis," court documents say.

"Richardson stated he began screaming from pain," court documents read.

Taylor had circumcised him, Richardson told investigators.

"Taylor explained in detail where he had obtained the supplies for the circumcision," Richardson said.

Taylor told 9NEWS a different story.

"[Richardson] went after himself when he was drunk. He took a knife to himself," Taylor said in the jailhouse interview.

The incident wasn't enough to drive the two apart.

In March 1992, Taylor claimed Richardson punched him in the face after an argument about cleaning the cabin. Richardson was charged with assault in juvenile court.

Snelling believes the case made Richardson change his mind about testifying against Taylor.

Richardson disappeared before that could happen and so did clues.

Then 10 years later, police took a new look at the case. In 2002, Richardson's mother remembered something her son told a school counselor before he vanished.

"Richardson told the counselor that Taylor had told him that if he testified he, Taylor, would harm his mother, sister and brother," court documents say.

That same year, police found two vials with human hair at the remote cabin. Testing has not shown to whom the hair belonged.

Taylor told 9NEWS he has an explanation for that too.

"When I had people that I knew or friends or anything like that, I'd save a lock of their hair if they went to a barber. To keep it and remember them by. It's something I've done for years," he said.

Snelling admits he can't prove what happened to Richardson, but he believes Taylor was involved.

"I have little doubt that Richardson met with foul play," Snelling said. "[Taylor] is currently our prime suspect and currently our only suspect."

"We have to have proof (of Taylor's guilt) beyond a reasonable doubt, and without Mr. Richardson('s body) around we don't have that," Snelling said.

"We've heard a couple of theories. Some being that Ian Richardson killed himself. There's one theory that he's still alive and living in California and we have other information to tell us his body was chemically cremated," Snelling said.

Detectives interviewed Sid Martin in 2002, a friend of Taylor's, who claimed Taylor confessed to him.

Taylor said Richardson committed suicide, but then Taylor changed his story, investigators wrote after interviewing Martin.

"Martin related that Taylor later told another version of events in which Ian and Taylor had gotten in a fight, [a] shotgun went off and Ian (Richardson) was killed. Martin related that Taylor told him that he has 'chemically cremated' Ian's body," wrote detectives.

Martin pleaded guilty in March to attempted sex assault in a child in an unrelated case. The guilty plea was a result of a plea agreement. Taylor says Martin made the accusations against him to get the plea deal. The sealed court records show Martin told police of the alleged confession in 2002, seven years before Martin faced charges.

Taylor admitted in the interview with 9NEWS that's he's a chemist and has stored various chemicals at his house.

Taylor denied the allegations, saying Martin is out to get him.

"I'm innocent," Taylor told 9Wants to Know from jail. "I'm being railroaded by police who have it in for me and have for years."

He says his two latest accusers are known drug dealers and cannot be trusted. 9NEWS found neither of the men have criminal records as adults. Most juvenile records are not open to the public.

Snelling denies a witch hunt.

"Prison is paved with people who are innocent," Snelling said.

Contact investigative reporter Jace Larson by e-mailing jace.larson@9news.com, calling 303-871-1432, on Twitter or Facebook.