Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were found dead Wednesday afternoon in a basin of West Apostle Mountain in Chaffee County, ending a dayslong search that had moved through snow, ice and worsening weather. Sheriff Andy Rohrich said the two missing Colorado hikers were located around 3:30 p.m. after crews had been working to narrow the search area.
The discovery came after Colorado Mountain College contacted authorities Monday morning when the students did not return from a weekend mountain trip. Matsuda and Donlon had planned to camp near Ice Mountain and attempt a climb, and deputies later found their vehicle at a nearby trailhead. A helicopter then spotted their tent in a basin below the peaks, where it had collapsed under heavy snow.
That sighting shifted the search toward nearby West Apostle Peak, where about 60 searchers used helicopters, drones, search dogs and beacon technology in dangerous winter conditions. Flight for Life had been trying to locate an avalanche beacon that Jackson typically carries, and officials said several feet of snow, icy terrain and hazardous ground kept some areas too dangerous to reach on foot. Search dogs were also brought in to work from scent articles taken from the tent.
Rohrich said investigators do not suspect foul play, but the exact cause and manner of death will be determined by autopsy. He said, “Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends,” and added that crews were racing against the next round of weather. “We’re going to prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said before the men were found. More winter weather expected later in the week could have grounded aircraft, limited drone operations and buried clues under fresh snow.
Colorado Mountain College said it was devastated by the loss of Matsuda and Donlon, calling them members of its community and thanking the search and rescue teams and volunteers who worked to find them. The college said its focus was on supporting their families, friends, classmates, faculty and others who knew them. For now, the search has become a recovery and a waiting game for the medical findings that will explain how two weekend climbers ended up dead in a basin below the peaks.
