Coroner: Body Found In South Platte River Is Missing Man
DENVER (CBS4) – A search party looking for a missing man on Saturday found his body by the South Platte River in Denver.
The coroner's office announced Sunday morning the body is that of Adam Gilbertson who disappeared last month.
"The body appears to have been here for some time so there is quite a bit of decomposition," said Sgt. John White, a spokesman for Denver police.
Five different search parties made up of more than 100 people were looking for Gilbertson all day on Saturday.
Police say around 2:30 p.m. one of them noticed the body by the river. Gilbertson's family worried it was their son and brother.
The Denver hospice nurse disappeared nearly a month ago. He was last seen leaving a live music venue on Broadway near Center Avenue just before one in the morning on Dec. 15.
"They're really shook up right now," said Mark Wonder, one of the search volunteers that was with the family. "They come from another state to see where their boy is, it's really rough on them."
Gilbertson was found near Alameda Avenue along the river. That is not too far from where he was last seen.
Up until the coroner's confirmation, police treated both cases separately; the body found as a death investigation and an active investigation into searching for Gilbertson.
"We all came together and we are all waiting to see if this is him," said Wonder.
The large number of people who went out looking for Gilbertson are strangers to him.
"The majority of the search party today, don't even know Adam," said Wonder. "It's the Denver, Colorado community coming together to help this family, because we see it in their eyes."
The coroner's office says the cause and manner of death is pending.
Shawn Chitnis reports for CBS4 News at 10 on weekends and CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the week. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.