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Authorities Recover Two Missing Colorado Students’ Bodies

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

U.S. authorities recovered two Colorado Mountain College students dead in West Apostle Mountain’s basin on Oct. 28.
The students were Kaden Matsuda, 19, from Ridgway, and Jackson Donlon, 20, from New York.
They left Leadville on Oct. 23 to climb Ice Mountain near 14,000 ft and were reported missing on Oct. 26.
Sheriff Andy Rohrich said no foul play is suspected; autopsy will determine cause.

Summary

Sheriff Andy Rohrich said a yellow boot sighting led rescuers to the bodies.
Colorado Mountain College said its community was devastated by the loss.
Queensbury High School principal Andrew Snide called graduate Jackson Donlon’s death heartbreaking.
The Chaffee County Coroner’s Office will work with investigators to determine cause of death.
Search teams used drones, helicopters and dogs across counties, warning a Friday storm could endanger hikers.

History

The May 10-11 1996 Mount Everest disaster, where eight climbers—including members of Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants and Scott Fischer’s Mountain Madness teams—perished in a blizzard, prompted Nepal to tighten summit permits and require mandatory weather briefings. Those reforms became a model for today’s multi-agency Colorado search, which relies on coordinated drones, helicopters and K-9 units.

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The May 10-11 1996 Mount Everest disaster, where eight climbers—including members of Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants and Scott Fischer’s Mountain Madness teams—perished in a blizzard, prompted Nepal to tighten summit permits and require mandatory weather briefings. Those reforms became a model for today’s multi-agency Colorado search, which relies on coordinated drones, helicopters and K-9 units.

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