Missing College Hikers Found Dead on Treacherous Mountain Trail

Two college students who set out for a hike in Colorado were found dead after going missing for several days.

Deputies found the bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, in a mountain basin on West Apostle Mountain, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

Matsuda, a Ridgway, Colorado, resident, and Donlon, who was from 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.

Their bodies were discovered Wednesday, after Colorado Mountain College reported them missing on Monday.

The sheriff’s office said the bodies were located near each other and that “foul play is not suspected.”

Investigators provided detailed updates on social media about the search, which involved 60 search-and-rescue volunteers from six counties. Crews navigated treacherous trails and worsening weather while looking for the missing students.

Deputies later established a possible timeline for the students’ ill-fated hike.

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.”

The men’s remains were transferred to the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office for autopsies.

The investigation into the deaths remains ongoing.

News Media has contacted Colorado Mountain College for comment on the tragedy.