ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK — A body that is believed to be a missing Nebraska man was located in Rocky Mountain National Park on Wednesday.
Blake Kieckhafer, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, was reported missing to RMNP rangers by family on Monday, according to a news release from the park. He was dropped off by a rideshare service in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park around 5:20 p.m. on Aug. 7.
Upper Beaver Meadows Road is located approximately one mile west of the Beaver Meadows entrance along U.S. Highway 36 on the east side of the park.
A body believed to be that of Kieckhafer was recovered above Emerald Lake on Wednesday during a search of the area. In a release, RMNP officials said rangers completed an on-scene investigation, and a helicopter was used to recover the body.
The body was flown to a landing zone in RMNP and transferred to the Larimer County Coroner's Office, which will make an official identification and release additional information at a later time. RMNP did not release a potential cause or manner of death.
More than 80 people were involved in the search for Kieckhafer, according to park officials. Several agencies and organizations assisted, including the Larimer County Search and Rescue dog teams, Arapahoe Rescue Patrol and a contracted helicopter with Trans Aero.
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