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Two college students who disappeared while trying to scale a Colorado mountain have been found dead after they were caught up in a snowstorm, police said.
Colorado Mountain College Leadville students Jackson Donlon, a 20-year-old New York native, and Kaden Matsuda, 19, went missing while trying to scale Ice Mountain – a near 14,000-foot peak – over the weekend as a storm dumped around two feet of snow.
They were found near each other in a nearby mountain’s basin half a mile away on Wednesday, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said, announcing the deaths with “profound sadness.”
“Foul play is not suspected,” the sheriff’s department wrote, while stressing: “We will not offer theories as to what may have happened until an autopsy can be completed.”
“Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends,” the department said.
“Although this is a gut punch, our prayers were answered that we would find Kaden and Jackson, allowing some closure for the family.”
Matsuda, an aspiring wildland firefighter from Ridgway, Colorado, and Donlon left campus on Friday ahead of their trip. They were reported missing on Monday when they failed to return to campus.
They had told friends they would return to campus by Sunday, with the alarm raised when they had failed to return by Monday.
While they were hiking, a storm pummelled the area, dumping around two feet of snow, the Colorado Sun reported.
Drones with infrared technology, helicopters and K9s were all deployed as part of the search – but there were no positive sightings of either hiker.
Investigators also found that neither hiker had used their cell phone in the past 48 hours – but cops suspected they may have switched off their devices to preserve battery life.
On Tuesday, the hikers’ tent was found collapsed under the weight of the snow – but there was still no sign of the pair.
Sleeping bags, a stove and clothes were found inside, investigators said.
Deputies also found Matsuda’s car — which had roughly eight inches of snow around it, but said none was under the vehicle.
Despite the worrying finds, cops were not ruling out the possibility that the students would be found alive.
Andy Rohrich, the Chaffee County Sheriff, said Tuesday he was optimistic the students would be “hunkered down somewhere waiting to be rescued.”
He tried to stay optimistic, alluding to Donlon’s experience from studying to become a mountain guide.
