ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK – The possible remains of a missing Air Force Academy preparatory school student missing on Longs Peak since November of last year have been found, a spokeswoman for Rocky Mountain National Park said Friday.
Micah Tice, 20, went missing in late November 2018 after reportedly telling his parents over the phone he was going to go hiking over the weekend.
His vehicle was found by Rocky Mountain National Park rangers at the Longs Peak trailhead three days later.
Continuous efforts to find the missing cadet candidate took place for several days, but wintry conditions in the high country made it impossible for search and rescue crews, as well as volunteers, to continue the search for the remainder of the winter.
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On Thursday, private search efforts associated with the Tice family reported to park staff that they found items believed to belong to Tice below the treeline in the Boulder Brook drainage.
The drainage was one of the areas where initial search efforts were heavily focused, according to Rocky Mountain National Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson.
She said park search and rescue crews focused their efforts in that area Friday morning, when they discovered the remains.
Rangers have completed an on-scene investigation and recovery operations are taking place, Patterson said. The remains will be transferred to the Larimer County Coroner’s Office, where they will be positively identified once the autopsy is complete.
Patterson said the park worked closely with the academy, coordinating investigative and operational assistance, and incorporating a team from the Air Force Academy Mountaineering Club in initial search efforts. The Air Force Academy Colorado Parents’ Club also coordinated efforts from numerous organizations and individuals to donate daily meals for searchers.
The Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue based in Boulder County, Colorado Air National Guard, Alpine Rescue Team, Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol, Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Grand County Search and Rescue, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Summit County Rescue Group Dog Team, Front Range Rescue Dogs, and FLIR Systems Inc. who volunteered their services to conduct thermal imaging of the search area, also helped RMNP search and rescue teams in the search for Tice.