A man camping in the Indian Peaks Wilderness west of Boulder, Colorado, was found dead Monday afternoon, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday.
At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Monday, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a call regarding an overdue camper who had been hiking and camping in the Lake Isabelle area of the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
The 36-year-old man traveled to Lake Isabelle from Brainard Lake Recreation Area but was expected to return Monday morning. When he did not respond or show up, family members reported him missing.
“The missing man’s vehicle was located in the Brainard Lake parking lot and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office emergency services initiated a search,” the sheriff’s office said. “Based on reports from the family and information from the missing man’s Garmin GPS device, a search of the area was conducted using ground searchers, canine units and a helicopter.”
Search crews found a dead man near Shoshoni Peak around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, who was believed to be the missing person.
“Due to the remote location and challenging terrain, it was not safe to conduct recovery operations that night,” the sheriff’s office said.
Rescue teams returned to the area on Tuesday to carry out the recovery.
According to the sheriff’s office, rescue workers from the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, with the assistance of a Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control helicopter, were able to recover the dead man and transport him to investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office will determine the climber’s identity and the cause and manner of death.
At this point, it does not appear to be a suspicious death.
