Colorado College Students
Found Dead After Hiking Treacherous Trail
Published
Two Colorado college students were found dead on Wednesday … days after they went for a hike and never returned to campus.
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office announced the deaths of Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon, who both attended Colorado Mountain College Leadville.
According to the sheriff, Matsuda and Donlon were found in a basin of West Apostle Mountain in Chaffee County. Foul play is not suspected, and the law enforcement agency wouldn’t speculate on what happened to the pair while the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities say they were first alerted to the students’ disappearance Monday after receiving a call from college staff. They interviewed friends and family … and learned the pair planned to hike Ice Mountain — a difficult trek only recommended to serious climbers.
Ice Mountain has a summit at nearly 14,000 feet. It’s a particularly treacherous climb in good conditions … and nearly impossible when it rains or snows.
The sheriff says friends told them in interviews the pair planned on coming back Saturday if they didn’t feel safe … and Sunday if they did.
Authorities say they found Mastuda’s car and a tent set up … with indications that everything was in place before a massive snowstorm in the region rolled in.
Matsuda was 19. Donlon was 20.
RIP
