Animal attack or self-harm unlikely, Colorado officials say as search for missing hunter enters second week

The search for missing Colorado hunter Kaden Sites entered its second week on Thursday. The 27-year-old was reported as missing April 15 after he failed to return from a hunting trip. 

Sites went turkey hunting on Mount Shavano and failed to show up for a doctor's appointment that Wednesday afternoon, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office. Family members found Sites' pickup truck at the Blanks Cabin Trailhead parking lot. His cell phone was inside the truck, and the device's battery was dead. 

Investigators said they have searched his vehicle and his cell phone. They said at this time, foul play or self-harm is not suspected, but investigators will "continue to complete interviews and consider all possibilities." Authorities said there are very few signs of predator animal behavior in the area, suggesting a "very low possibility that Kaden was the victim of an animal attack."

The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office posted an update on Facebook on April 22 that approximately 20 members searched a 275-acre section of the National Forest north of the Weldon Creek subdivision, northwest of Poncha Springs in Chaffee County. Authorities said this location is a few miles south of where Sites' abandoned vehicle was found. 

Earlier in the week, authorities said a search and rescue canine showed some interest in that area. Despite the team searching 110 linear miles over a combined 130 man-hours, Sites was not located. 

Authorities said the searched area totals around 20 square miles and more than 6,000 man-hours. Right now, they said searches will be more sporadic in the coming days as crews need time to rest. 

Authorities have asked the public to stay clear of the search area to allow the dogs to work unhindered, and human scent makes it difficult for dogs to do their jobs. 

Future plans for operations include the use of human remains and cadaver dogs in the coming weeks. 

Authorities said crews will continue to search the area, including areas that have already been searched multiple times. They said the surrounding forest is heavily wooded with a large amount of shrubs and downed timber, leading to the possibility that crews may have missed locating him. 

The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office released an AI-generated photo of Sites earlier this week that investigators say was created to show what he is believed to have been wearing when he went hunting. The AI photo shows him wearing a grey hoodie, khaki pants, with a camouflage chest pouch, and carrying a shotgun. 

Anyone who locates any items believed to belong to Sites, or has any information about his whereabouts, is asked to please leave the items untouched and call Chaffee County Dispatch at 719-539-2596.