Denver Man Found Dead Beneath Steep Drop-Off in National Park

Colorado authorities said Wednesday that a man was found dead last week in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison after deputies located an unattended vehicle near the national park.

The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office said the man’s body was discovered on the canyon floor. The area is known for trails that border sheer drop-offs of up to 2,000 feet, while reaching the inner canyon can be difficult.

Officials identified the hiker as John N. Countryman, 57, of Denver, in a Facebook post.

A creek flows through Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on July 29, 2020. Authorities identified a Denver man whose body was found in a remote part of the canyon last week. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images/File)

Deputies received a report around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 about an “abandoned vehicle parked near mile marker 10 along the South Rim of Black Canyon,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators also found personal belongings near Devil’s Lookout, one of the park’s most precipitous viewpoints.

Two visitors peer into Black Canyon from a high overlook inside Gunnison National Park, near the area where the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office recovered a body last week. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

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The sheriff’s office sent its drone team into the canyon to look for a possible missing person believed to be connected to the vehicle.

Searchers could not find anyone before darkness fell because of “diminishing daylight,” authorities said.

During a follow-up search at about 6:30 a.m. the next day, the drone team “confirmed the presence of human remains on the canyon floor.”

Countryman’s remains were recovered two days later and taken to the Montrose County Coroner’s Office.

Officials have not determined the cause or manner of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The sun dips behind Black Canyon at Gunnison National Park near the site where the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office recovered a body last week. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images/File)

Located in western Colorado, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is defined by narrow, steep-walled gorges carved by the Gunnison River. Its dramatic cliffs and rugged landscape can pose significant challenges for search-and-rescue crews.