Family: Missing Colorado Deputy Tayler Esslinger Found Deceased

EAGLE, Colo. (CBS4/AP) — The family of a Colorado sheriff's deputy and volunteer firefighter who has been missing since Tuesday says Tayler Esslinger has been found deceased. The Eagle County Sheriff's Office says Esslinger's body was found inside his truck Friday morning in neighboring Garfield County.

Esslinger was 26 years old and worked as a sheriff's deputy in Eagle County and a volunteer firefighter in Gypsum.

The Vail Daily reports that cell phone location data last showed Esslinger's phone in a rural part of western Eagle County around 4 a.m. on Tuesday. Searchers have used helicopters and were joined later in the week by dozens of volunteers riding four-wheelers or walking the area.

Esslinger's family confirmed on Friday afternoon that he had been found deceased and had recently been struggling with the loss of his mentor. No other details surrounding his death were provided.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

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