A hiker reported missing in Mesa County was found dead two days later on a steep slope deep in Hunter Canyon, north of Grand Junction, after a search effort that stretched across difficult terrain and relied on everything from search dogs to drone footage analyzed by anomaly-detection software. The body was recovered using rope systems because of the muddy, steep ground, and the Mesa County Coroner's Office is now working to identify the person.
According to The Denver Post, Mesa County Search and Rescue began looking for the hiker on the evening of Oct. 22 after the Mesa County Sheriff's Office called for assistance. That timeline matches reporting from gjsentinel.com, which says the sheriff's office contacted search and rescue teams that same evening and that the response began immediately. Hunter Canyon sits in the Little Book Cliffs area north of 21 Road, the outlet notes, a rugged stretch of terrain north of the city.
Drones, Dogs and a Difficult Second Day
Search and rescue crews resumed their effort on foot on Oct. 23, continuing to comb the canyon as daylight wore on. The response that week drew on a broad toolkit — ground searchers, aerial support, drone footage and cell phone forensics — according to a report from westernslopenow.com. Classic Air also flew over the area looking for the hiker, per The Denver Post, while search and rescue teams deployed drones of their own to scan the canyon's steep terrain.
The footage gathered on Oct. 23 was run through anomaly-detection software designed to flag anything unusual in the frames, the same westernslopenow.com report states. Despite the expanded aerial and technological effort, the second day of searching ended at dark without the hiker being found, according to The Denver Post. A search dog named Rogue, paired with handler Marla from Garfield County, joined the ground teams as the search stretched into its next phase, the station reported.
Family Tip Narrows the Search
The turning point came on Oct. 24, when new information from the hiker's family helped investigators narrow their focus. The search area was divided into roughly nine segments based on that tip, according to gjsentinel.com's account of the operation. Shortly after 10 a.m. that day, one of the field teams climbed a steep slope moving east toward the highest elevation of their assigned search area.
As the team pushed north across the terrain, members located the hiker, who was determined to be deceased, the outlet reported. Per a rescue team post cited by The Denver Post, the hiker was already dead by the time crews found the body. The discovery came after roughly two days of searching across difficult, remote ground north of Grand Junction.
A Difficult Recovery Off the Mountain
Getting the hiker off the mountain proved almost as challenging as finding them. Because the slope was steep and the ground muddy, recovery crews had to rig multiple low-angle rope systems to safely lower the body to the valley floor, gjsentinel.com reported. Teams made their way back to the staging area by around 3 p.m., where the hiker was transferred to the Mesa County Coroner's Office, the outlet said.
The coroner's office will be responsible for identifying the hiker, according to The Denver Post. As of the most recent report, the victim's name had not yet been released, per gjsentinel.com.
