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Loren M. Ryerson Dies After Found On Riverbank In Aspen

ASPEN, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - Authorities say a 38-year-old Aspen man who was found unconscious and lying partially in the Roaring Fork River in western Colorado has died.

Ryerson was found on the riverbank in Aspen on Sunday morning.

His death is not considered suspicious, according to a determination made between investigators with the Pitkin County Coroner's Office and the Aspen Police Department and announced late Wednesday afternoon.

"It has been determined," Pitkin County Chief Deputy Coroner Audra Keith stated in a press release, "that Mr. Ryerson's injuries were not consistent with a fall from the bridge. It is believed that Mr. Ryerson may have dropped his phone and was at the edge of the river to retrieve it when a medical event possibly occurred. The manner of death is either natural or accidental pending toxicology, histology, and medical record review."

Roaring Fork River
The Roaring Fork River (credit: usgs.gov)

He died at a Denver-area hospital Monday. Ryerson, the son of former Aspen Police Chief Loren Ryerson, was treated after a homeowner saw him lying on the riverbank near a downtown park and called authorities. The Aspen Times reports Ryerson graduated from Aspen High School and worked at different area businesses after studying at the University of Arizona.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)  

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