Two college students who went hiking in Colorado were found dead after disappearing for several days.
The bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were discovered in a mountain basin on West Apostle Mountain, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
Matsuda, who was from Ridgway, Colorado, and Donlon, of Queensbury, New York, were students at Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville campus. Authorities said the pair left campus Friday, Oct. 23, for a hike near Ice Mountain.
Colorado Mountain College students Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon died after setting out on a mountain hike. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
The students were reported missing by CMC on Monday. Their bodies were located three days later, on Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said the bodies were found close together and that “foul play is not suspected.”
The two men hiked near Ice Mountain before they were found dead, deputies said. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators provided updates on social media as the search unfolded. Sixty search-and-rescue volunteers from six counties took part in the operation, navigating dangerous trails as weather conditions worsened.
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Search-and-rescue teams from six counties joined the effort to locate the missing students. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
Deputies later assembled the following timeline of the students’ ill-fated trip.
- Friday, Oct. 23: The students left campus for Chaffee County as rain moved through the area.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: This was their scheduled return date if poor conditions prevented them from continuing. A powerful snowstorm struck between 1 and 2 p.m., creating dangerous conditions on local roads.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: This was the planned return date if the pair continued to the summit.
- Monday, Oct. 26: CMC staff reported the students missing. Deputies found Matsuda’s vehicle at a trailhead near Winfield, Colorado.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27: An aircraft crew spotted the remains of the students’ collapsed tent near Lake Ann.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: Search teams located the bodies of Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon.
Search crews traveled on foot along rugged trails while looking for the hikers. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement, “Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends. We are very proud of our team’s efforts to find them before this weekend’s coming storm. Although this is a gut punch, our prayers were answered that we would find Kaden and Jackson, allowing some closure for the family.”
Search-and-rescue teams from six counties worked to locate the missing hikers. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
The students’ remains were transferred to the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office for autopsies.
Authorities said the investigation into the deaths remains ongoing.
News Outlet has contacted Colorado Mountain College for comment on the tragedy.
