Colorado Deputies Find 2 Missing College Hikers Dead on West Apostle Mountain

Q: What happened after two Colorado students left a snow-covered tent behind and were found dead near West Apostle Mountain?

After leaving a tent that later collapsed under heavy snow near Lake Ann, the two Colorado Mountain College students were found dead on Wednesday in a basin on West Apostle Mountain after a multi-day search. Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, had left the Leadville campus on Oct. 23 for a backcountry hike in the Sawatch Range. When they did not return as planned, the college reported them missing Monday. Search teams from several counties, backed by helicopters, drones, dogs and infrared aircraft, searched through worsening rain, snow and dangerous terrain. On Tuesday, a helicopter spotted their snow-covered tent near Lake Ann. Investigators said the camp appeared to have been set up before the storm, with no footprints visible in the snow beneath or around it. Sleeping bags, a stove and clothing were found there, but the students were gone. Authorities also said advanced climbing gear was missing, suggesting they may have left camp for a technical climb, possibly toward West Apostle rather than Ice Mountain. Their bodies were discovered near each other around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said foul play is not suspected, and the exact cause and manner of death will be determined by autopsies. Sheriff Andy Rohrich said finding them before another storm arrived gave their families some closure, and Colorado Mountain College said it was providing emotional support to students and staff.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 29

Chaffee County deputies found Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, dead Wednesday in a basin on West Apostle Mountain after the Colorado Mountain College students vanished during a hike.
A timeline released by investigators shows the pair left campus Oct. 23, expected to return by Oct. 24 or 25, and were caught in worsening conditions after a heavy snowstorm hit Saturday afternoon.
Sixty search-and-rescue volunteers from six counties joined the mission after the students were reported missing Monday; crews found Matsuda’s vehicle at a Winfield trailhead and later spotted the pair’s collapsed tent near Lake Ann.
Authorities said the bodies were found near each other, foul play is not suspected, and autopsies are pending as the death investigation continues.