Search teams located the bodies of two college students on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after the pair went missing during a weekend hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains. The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office identified the hikers as Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, both students at Colorado Mountain College's Leadville Campus.
The students were reported missing on Monday, October 26, after they failed to return from a planned hike that began the previous Friday. Friends and family informed authorities that the two intended to hike Ice Mountain at the north end of Chaffee County. According to the sheriff's office, Matsuda’s vehicle was found near the Mount Huron trailhead with eight inches of snow surrounding it.
Searchers located a collapsed tent on Tuesday, October 27, near Lake Ann, which contained sleeping bags, a stove, and clothing, but not the hikers. The search continued using aircraft, drones, and infrared technology until the bodies were found in a basin of West Apostle Mountain at approximately 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Sheriff Andy Rohrich stated that the discovery provides closure for the families and noted that foul play is not suspected.
The sheriff's office reported that the region had experienced multiple days of rain followed by significant snowfall, leaving portions of the mountain encased in ice. While the lower elevations had roughly eight inches of snow, higher areas on Ice Mountain received one to two feet, with drifts reaching up to four feet. Officials described the terrain as extremely dangerous to access on foot due to snow-covered boulder fields.
The scale of the search involved multiple agencies using advanced technology, including multi-mission aircraft with infrared sensors and drones, across a high-altitude wilderness area southeast of Aspen. For the families and search teams, the recovery occurred shortly before an expected storm was forecast to hit the region, which officials said would have further complicated efforts. The technical nature of Ice Mountain, which requires significant experience even in dry conditions, underscores the risks inherent in Rocky Mountain hiking during the transition from autumn to winter.
Day-to-day, this incident highlights the hazards that sudden weather shifts pose to outdoor recreation in Colorado, where rain at lower elevations can translate into several feet of snow and ice on technical peaks. While friends described both men as experienced hikers with appropriate gear, the sheriff's office noted that the mountain had become virtually impossible to navigate on foot due to the first major snow of the season. An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death, and authorities stated they would not release further theories until that process is complete. No specific date for the autopsy results has been announced.