By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado man who was being airlifted to a hospital after a traffic accident confessed to medical personnel that he had just killed his wife whose body was later found by police, authorities said on Tuesday.

Police in Carbondale, a small mountain town about 125 miles west of Denver, said the man was driving a Toyota 4Runner on Monday when he collided with a tractor-trailer.

The driver, whose name has not been released, was initially treated at a local hospital, but due to the severity of his injuries was then flown to a regional trauma center in Grand Junction, about 75 miles away, Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling said in a statement.

While on board, the man told the flight crew that he had killed his wife inside a Carbondale apartment earlier in the day, Schilling said.

Police went to the apartment where the man said the slaying took place, but found the occupants unharmed. Officers canvassed the complex and ultimately contacted a woman outside one of the buildings as she was arriving home.

The woman would not let the officers search her home, but agreed to check inside the unit.

"This resident then reported a deceased individual in the apartment with suspected knife wounds," the police statement said.

The names of the suspect and victim will not be released until the investigation is complete, Schilling told Reuters by telephone.

The man is being held in protective custody at the Grand Junction hospital while he recovers from his injuries, the police chief said.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)