Three initial suspects have been dropped in the search for those responsible for the beating death of Fred Martinez Jr., a 16-year-old Cortez boy, the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday afternoon.

Martinez’s body was found June 21 in a rocky canyon south of Cortez, east of the Happy Valley Trailer Park. He had reportedly been struck on the head with a blunt object. Exposure also may have contributed to the cause of death, officials say.

His homicide is being investigated as a possible hate crime because Martinez was believed to have been gay. That angle is still being pursued, police reported Monday, but no arrests have been made.

But more leads are being developed, and three more unidentified suspects are being sought for interviews, according to the sheriff’s office.

"The people being sought will be interviewed as suspects until otherwise cleared by investigators," the release said.

Montezuma County Sheriff ‘s Detective Lt. Kalvin Boggs could not be reached for comment Monday.

Martinez’s death has garnered national attention because of the possible motive behind his killing, but local police stress that they have found no evidence to affirm that his homosexuality was a factor in the crime.

"There is still a lot of work to be done on the Martinez case, and it is moving ahead," said Cortez Police Chief Roy Lane.

The case is being worked on by eight investigators in a joint effort involving the sheriff’s office, Cortez Police Department and Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Martinez, a Navajo who attended Montezuma-Cortez High School, was known to wear women’s clothing and reportedly told friends and teachers he was gay. Some said he was considering a sex-change operation.

Martinez was reported to have last been seen by his mother on June 16, when he told her he was going to the carnival at the Ute Mountain Ute Rodeo in Cortez. Other witnesses reported seeing him at the rodeo later that evening.

In a press release, members of the Four Corners Gay and Lesbian Alliance for Diversity expressed sorrow over the crime and appreciation for police efforts that include consideration of a possible hate motive.

The regional group said that Martinez "was a model for us in his ability to express his individuality despite the pressures of convention, while garnering the love of many around him."

FC-GLAD cites the need for hate-crime legislation in order to protect victims of violence targeted because of their sexual orientation. The group is asking Coloradoans to extend protections outlined in the Ethnic Intimidation Act to gay, lesbian and transgendered citizens of Colorado.

"Whatever is determined to be the motivation behind the murder of Fred Martinez, the specter of hate crimes associated with this case pointedly reminds us that the members of the gay, lesbian and transgendered community continue to be targets of violence born of hate, ignorance and fear," the group said in the release.

FC-GLAD’s Cortez board member, John Peters-Campbell, said hate-crime legislation is important to ensure that "people are not out there preying on gay people."

"What it would also do is allow for a process in which hate-motivated crimes are recorded and tracked over time by law enforcement," Peters-Campbell said. "Right now that process is not in place," but if it were, areas with high incidences of hate-oriented crimes could be more easily identified and monitored by police, he said.

For the past seven years, hate-crime legislation has failed to pass the Colorado General Assembly.

Last session, Rep. Mark Cortez (R-Cortez) co-sponsored a hate-crimes bill that passed the Senate but died in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The bill would have expanded categories under the Ethnic Intimidation Act to include age, physical and mental disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Currently the act protects citizens from being targeted for crime because of religion, national origin, race, color and ancestry. If convicted under those laws, offenders can receive an aggravated jail sentence.

Larson said he plans to carry the bill again next session because of its importance in protecting citizens.

"Criminals who prey on people with certain characteristics should spend longer time in jail," Larson said Monday. "The National Coalition Against Violent Crime indicates 60 to 70 percent of crimes today are hate-crime-related. We as a state are remiss for not addressing that."

Critics of hate-crime bills say they carve out special benefits for a particular class or group of people already afforded protection under current laws.

The sheriff’s office is asking for help in the investigation. A Crimestoppers Hotline has been set up for leads and tips from the public.