Family Of Broncos Fan Found Safe After Going Missing Says They're Thankful

PUEBLO, Colo. (CBS4) - The family of a Denver Broncos fan from Kremming who was found safe Tuesday night after going missing for several days says they appreciate all the attention the case received.

Paul Kitterman was attending the Broncos-Chargers game last Thursday night with a family member and some friends and disappeared at halftime. Searches for him during and after the game were unsuccessful.

Police who located Kitterman Tuesday night in southern Colorado -- five days later -- say he was evasive when asked questions about why he traveled, apparently on foot, to Pueblo.

Pueblo police said Kitterman was lucid, intelligible and physically okay when they found him in a Kmart parking lot near Highway 50 and Elizabeth Street after getting a tip.

However, when he was questioned he was not very forthcoming about his journey to the southern Colorado city. He did tell police he wanted to go somewhere warmer because he had "had his fill" of football.

He also indicated to police he did not want to be found. He ditched the Broncos hat he had been wearing at the game so he wouldn't be so recognizable and Kitterman told police he slept in treed areas and bushes during his trip.

Police say because he was being evasive, they can not be sure if he walked the entire way from Denver to Pueblo or hitchhiked part of the way.

After he was found, Kitterman's family used the Facebook Help find Paul Kitterman page to release the following statement:

The family of Paul Kitterman would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support and kindness. We cannot thank you all enough and will be forever grateful to all of you. The family is happy to report Paul has been found and they are now with him and he is safe. The family wanted to hold of reporting that Paul was located due to the fact they wanted to ensure it was Paul that was located and not someone else. The family is very much part of this page and read the comments on here. We know there are many questions that some of you may have but for the time being we are asking that you respect there privacy as they have been through a lot. We love all of you and we will never forget your kindness, compassion, and your willingness to help us find Paul. God Bless all of you....

Some people on that Facebook page on Wednesday posted heated comments saying they were upset over police resources being used in the case.

Denver police had told CBS4 on Monday that staff at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, not officers, were reviewing video taken in the stadium to determine if there were any clues in the case.

Denver police said they don't suspect foul play in the case.

Kitterman visited a friend's ex-wife while in Pueblo, in Pueblo, according to CBS4 partner KKTV.