Colorado Man Missing Since August Found Dead With His Dog Alive By His Side
A Colorado hiker who went missing in August has been found dead, along with the man’s dog, alive at his side.
Pagosa Springs resident Rich Moore had been missing since Aug. 19, when the 71-year-old failed to return from a planned summit of Blackhead Peak.
The 12,500-foot mountain sits in a rugged corner of the San Juan mountains in the southwestern corner of the state, east of Pagosa Springs.
A hunter in the area stumbled across Moore’s remains on Oct. 30 and alerted the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office, noting a white Jack Russell terrier was with him.
The office, along with search and rescue groups from across the region, had previously spent nearly 2,000 hours searching for him, 9News reports.
Cinnamon Pass, approximately 11 miles near Canby Mountain, is seen at sunset in September 2023 in Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado. Sitting 13,478 ft in elevation, Canby Mountain is situated on the Continental Divide high in the San Juan mountains.
Members of Taos Search and Rescue responded the next day via helicopter and were able to recover Moore’s body on a particularly steep section of the mountain. His dog, Finney, also came with.
“We searched from just under the peak-top and directly West, searching down the mountain toward where his car was located,” Taos Search and Rescue member Delinda Vanne-Brightyn said in a release.
“It was so steep, we were inserted in by a helicopter. He was found 2.5 miles East of the mountain-top beneath where we were inserted.”
Taos Search and Rescue expressed its condolences to the family, adding the members were happy to bring the dog back home.
