2 missing college students found dead on Colorado mountain
Two Colorado Mountain College students who went missing during a trip in the mountains have been found dead, according to authorities. Their bodies were discovered near each other after a search involving dozens of rescuers.
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in a basin on West Apostle Mountain in Chaffee County, according to the sheriff’s office. The mountain is in central Colorado, southwest of Leadville.
The pair were students at Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville campus, where they met and bonded over their love of the mountains and adventure, said campus dean Ben Cairns at a briefing.
Matsuda was studying wildland fire and had spent a year in the fire service after high school. He was “kind-hearted, intelligent, and a highly likable student who formed positive connections with classmates almost immediately,” Cairns said.
Donlon was studying outdoor recreation leadership and was a passionate climber and skier. “He was kind, adventurous, and inspiring with his love and passion for the outdoors and, more importantly, his friends,” the dean said.
The search initially focused on the area around nearby Ice Mountain, but shifted toward West Apostle after the students’ tent was found. Friends told authorities that one of the students had previously camped in the same area while planning to climb West Apostle.
Climbing equipment was missing from the students’ dorm rooms and was not found in their vehicle or tent, suggesting they had taken it with them. Their walking shoes were found inside the tent, but their climbing footwear was missing.
About 60 search and rescue personnel from several counties took part in the search, with helicopters, drones and canine teams also deployed. Authorities had hoped to find the students before poor weather expected to arrive Friday.
“Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends,” Sheriff Andy Rohrich said. “We are very proud of our team’s efforts to find them before this weekend’s coming storm.”
Foul play is not suspected. The sheriff’s office said it would not speculate about what happened before autopsies are completed, and that it will investigate the deaths with the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office.
The post 2 missing college students found dead on Colorado mountain appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
