2 Men Found Dead After They Failed to Return Home in Separate Colorado Hiking Incidents
The body of Keith Hayes, 42, was found on Dec. 16, while the second unidentified victim was located two days later, authorities said
Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty
Two men have been found dead in separate hiking incidents in the Flatirons near Boulder, Colo, authorities said.
On Wednesday, Dec. 18, a 27-year-old was found dead after he was last seen "scrambling" near the Third Flatiron. The man had been reported missing by his sister after he had failed to return home on Tuesday, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Officials found the man’s vehicle near the Gregory Canyon trailhead and then launched a multi-agency search operation that used drones to eventually locate him in a remote area. Rescuers recovered his body after working for more than eight hours, the sheriff’s office said.
On Monday, Dec. 16, the body of Keith Hayes, 42, was found on a rock ledge after he fell near the Second Flatiron, according to the sheriff’s office and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
Hayes’ friends found his body after he didn’t return home, and reported him missing at about 9 p.m. local time.
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Multiple agencies including Boulder Parks and Open Space Rangers and the Rocky Mountain Rescue group responded to the scene, and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office recovered his remains.
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The 27-year-old man found on Wednesday has not been publicly identified by the coroner’s office as of Thursday, Dec. 19.
The Flatirons, a signature part of Boulder’s landscape, are a group of sandstone formations in the foothills near the city, according to the state.
CBS affiliate KCNC-TV reported that there has been an increase in the number of climbing deaths in 2024.
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