Colorado Mountain College students killed after fall while rappelling, investigators say
On Tuesday, authorities said two Colorado Mountain College students who were found dead in Chaffee County experienced a catastrophic anchor failure while rappelling, which resulted in their deaths.
Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were reported missing on Oct. 23 after they didn't return from a hiking trip near Ice Mountain. In the days after they left, the area saw heavy snowfall, which complicated search and rescue efforts. Search and rescue crews found Matsuda's vehicle on Monday and later found the hikers' tent collapsed underneath the snow near Lake Ann.
The bodies of both men were found on Wednesday morning in a basin of West Apostle Mountain. The Chaffee County Coroner's Office conducted an autopsy and determined that Matsuda and Donlon died instantly of blunt force injuries.
During its investigation, the Chaffee County Coroner's Office discovered that an anchor point the hikers were using experienced a "catastrophic failure of unknown cause" while they were rappelling.
"The investigation showed that Jackson was beginning to rappel from a primary anchor point on a rock substrate. That anchor appears to have been backed up by a piton and a secondary anchor made of rock substrate. Kaden was attached via his personal anchor device to the same anchor points as well as the primary anchor point," the sheriff's office explained.
They say Matsuda and Donlon died after they fell "a substantial distance."
"Kaden and Jackson lived life at the highest peaks, chasing freedoms and panoramic views that most of us only see in pictures. We hope their families and friends find strength in the memories of their vibrant spirits. While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County's high peaks that they loved. There is also relief knowing neither of them suffered," said Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich.
