A 57-year-old Denver man has been identified as the person found dead on the floor of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, after a search that began with an abandoned car near the park's South Rim and ended with a drone locating human remains below. Montrose County officials say John N. Countryman's body was recovered days after deputies first responded to the scene.
According to The Denver Post, the search began on October 27 when Montrose County deputies responded to reports of an abandoned car along the Black Canyon's South Rim. As reported by denvergazette.com, deputies were dispatched at about 5:31 p.m. that day to the report of an abandoned vehicle parked near Mile Marker 10 along the South Rim.
Drone Searches Span Two Days Before Grim Discovery
An initial drone search that evening turned up nothing, and the search was postponed until the following morning, the Gazette's report notes. On October 28, around 6:30 a.m., an investigator and a deputy returned to launch another drone over the canyon, at which point human remains were found on the canyon floor, per the same account.
The Denver Post's reporting adds that investigators believed the abandoned car was connected to a missing person, which shaped the direction of the search from the outset. Law enforcement recovered the body on Friday, according to the sheriff's office, and the Gazette's report states that the body was transferred to the coroner's office on October 30.
Personal Belongings Found Near Devil's Lookout
Sheriff's officials said personal belongings were also found in the area of Devil's Lookout, a spot reached by a 0.34-mile dirt trail, and those items were turned over to the sheriff's office as evidence. The sheriff's office did not specify what exactly was found near the lookout, according to the Denver Post.
The Montrose County Coroner's Office identified the remains as those of 57-year-old John N. Countryman of Denver. Montrosepress.com reported that the Montrose County Sheriff's Office and the Montrose County Coroner's Office confirmed a Denver man had died in Black Canyon of the Gunnison in late October.
Cause and Manner of Death Still Unknown
Countryman's cause and manner of death remained under investigation as of Thursday, according to the Denver Post's reporting. The Gazette's account likewise states that his cause and manner of death remain under investigation at this time, leaving key questions about what happened unanswered for now.
This remains a developing story and may be updated as more information becomes available.
