Chaffee County Deputies Recover Bodies of Two Missing Colorado Mountain College Students

Two Colorado Mountain College students reported missing earlier this week were found dead Wednesday afternoon in the mountains of Chaffee County.

The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said deputies recovered the bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, at about 3:30 p.m. in a basin of West Apostle Mountain. Sheriff's officials said the two were located near each other. Investigators do not suspect foul play.

Colleges staff reported the students missing Monday after learning they had gone hiking days earlier and had not returned. Investigators believe the pair arrived at a trailhead Friday and set up camp. A snowstorm the following day dropped 8 inches of snow at the trailhead and 1 to 2 feet on Ice Mountain, where they had planned to hike. Deputies later shifted search efforts to the adjacent West Apostle Mountain.

Deputies found Matsuda's vehicle Monday at the Mount Huron trailhead. Searchers located a tent near Lake Ann, collapsed under the weight of the snow with gear still inside. Lake Ann sits at the base of the mountains, west of both the West Apostle Mountain and Ice Mountain peaks.

About 60 search and rescue members from seven agencies worked the mountains Wednesday. Helicopters and drones also joined the search. "Foul play is not suspected, and we will not offer theories as to what may have happened until an autopsy can be completed," sheriff's officials wrote.

Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement that finding the students, while painful, brings some closure to the families. "Although this is a gut punch, our prayers were answered that we would find Kaden and Jackson, allowing some closure for the family," Rohrich said. "We ask that everyone give time and distance to family members and friends as they mourn their loss."