2 Men Found Dead After They Failed to Return Home in Separate Colorado Hiking Incidents

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty

Two men have been found dead in separate hiking incidents in the Flatirons near Boulder, Colo, authorities said.

Officials found the man’s vehicle near the Gregory Canyon trailhead and then launched a multi-agency search operation that used drones to eventually locate him in a remote area. Rescuers recovered his body after working for more than eight hours, the sheriff’s office said.

On Monday, Dec. 16, the body of Keith Hayes, 42, was found on a rock ledge after he fell near the Second Flatiron, according to the sheriff’s office and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Hayes’ friends found his body after he didn’t return home, and reported him missing at about 9 p.m. local time.

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Multiple agencies including Boulder Parks and Open Space Rangers and the Rocky Mountain Rescue group responded to the scene, and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office recovered his remains.

The Flatirons, a signature part of Boulder’s landscape, are a group of sandstone formations in the foothills near the city, according to thestate.

source: people.com