Body Found Near Durango Believed to Be That of Missing Man
A body was found just north of Durango, Colorado that is believed to be that of a man that went missing this past Monday, May 10th.
The man, who has yet to be identified, was reportedly riding his dirt bike in La Plata County and did not return from the trip. He was 33-years-old and a resident of Durango.
A crew of about 30 people, along with helicopters, a Colorado multi-mission aircraft, as well as canine units, all assisted in the search for the missing man when a rescue canine found a body in Hermosa Creek near where the missing individual's whereabouts were last known.
Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search and Rescue believes that the man abandoned his motorcycle in Jones Creek while attempting to follow the creek on foot.
Corkish also had this to say about the incident:
It’s bittersweet. The sweet part is to be able to meet your objectives and know that your team’s effort in finding a subject actually works ... and the community is so generous to make that happen. The bitter part is that we’ve lost another soul, another community member.
Although crews were able to locate the body, they have yet to be able to recover it because of the steep terrain surrounding the area adjacent to Jones Creek's steep terrain, which has been described as a roughly 600-foot drop.
The La Plata County Coroner's Office plans to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death as well as the identity of the man, after which the man's next of kin will be notified.