Park rangers identified the victim as 25-year-old Russell Jacobs from Westminster.
Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue found the body of a missing 25-year-old man who went missing after losing communication with a friend while he was near Keyhole Route on Longs Peak.
Park rangers said on Friday, Sept. 16, a friend of the 25-year-old man contacted park rangers after receiving a call from him saying he was lost and the weather was deteriorating quickly.
The 25-year-old was later identified as Russell Jacobs from Westminster. Jacobs told his friend that he was unprepared for winter conditions or to spend an unplanned night at elevations above 13,000 feet.
After hearing about Jacobs, park rangers reached out to him via text message. Park rangers said they were able to get in contact with him and learned that he was going to try to move towards the Agnes Vaille Shelters. They soon lost communication with him, a press release from Rocky Mountain National Parks (RMNP) said.
Search and rescue teams began searching for Jacobs in the Boulder Field and Keyhole area of Longs Peak on Friday afternoon. RMNP said crews had a difficult time searching for Jacobs due to accumulating snow, ice, wind and temperature. Later that night rangers were able to reach the Agnes Vaille Shelter but did not find Jacobs.
The search and rescue team set up a shelter in Boulder Field on Friday night in case Jacobs was still searching for the trailhead.
The next morning, crews continued to search for Jacobs. The press release from RMNP said once the weather cleared, the Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance was able to search the area from the air.
Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jacobs’s body was found 80 feet above the Ledges by park visitors. His body was transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
