According to officials, the skeletal remains of a human that were found on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park are believed to be those of Rudi Moder, a 27-year-old from West Germany who went missing 38 years ago.
While the initial discovery of the bones took place in August of 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire resulted in rangers putting a full investigation of the discovery on pause. Snow then covered the high-elevation area, found above 11,000 feet, further delaying their investigation.
As snow cleared in the summer, rangers were able to better search the scene, finding skis, poles, boots, and other personal items that were believed to have belonged to Moder.
Through work with the Grand County Coroner’s Office and the German government, officials are fairly certain the remains belong to Moder, though dental analysis was inconclusive.
Moder went missing while on a ski mountaineering trip in the area of Thunder Pass and Rocky Mountain National Park, last seen departing for the trip from the Zimmerman Lake Trailhead on February 13, 1983. The trip was planned to be two or three days, with Moder being reported as overdue by his Fort Collins roommate on February 19.
The red pin in this image shows where Skeleton Gulch is located while the grey pin shows the location of the Zimmerman Lake Trailhead. US 34 (also known as Trail Ridge Road) can be seen, as can Longs Peak, providing a reference point for those familiar with the park. Photo Credit: @2021 Google Maps.
While this report prompted a search to start in the early hours of the following day, more than a foot of snow fell in the area on the 19th, making it much more difficult to find any evidence that may have been left behind.
Despite the complications, searchers entered the field and scoured the area of Box Canyon and Skeleton Gulch, including Mount Richthofen, over the course of four days. During this initial search, crew members found a food cache that belonged to Moder near the mouth of Box Canyon, along with a nearby snow cave that contained a sleeping bag and other gear.
Additional search efforts continued the following spring and summer, but yielded no results.
The August 2020 discovery of the human remains in the Skeleton Gulch area by a hiker brought new movement on the search. While exactly what resulted in the death of Moder is unknown, the remains believed to be his were found near avalanche debris.
The recovery of these remains has brought closure to a cold case that has been ongoing for nearly four decades.
According to an article from the Coloradoan, Moder was one of six people still missing in Rocky Mountain National Park. A skull believed to belong to one missing person has been found, meaning four people remain missing in the park without a trace. The most recent missing persons cold case in the park, aside from Moder’s, involved two hikers who disappeared in 1949.
This content was originally published here.