Missing Hiker Presumed Dead After Two-Day Search

Longtime Hiker Ben Brownlee, 26, Went Missing Sunday

Experienced Hiker Last Seen Saturday Morning

Lake City, CO - Avid hiker Ben Brownlee, 26, was tragically found dead on Tuesday, August 23rd, after a two-day search in the San Juan Mountains near Lake City, Colorado. The beloved runner was an experienced outdoorsman and a former Kansas track and field athlete.

Brownlee had been reported missing on Sunday after he failed to return from a solo hiking trip. According to the Hinsdale County Office of Emergency Management, he was last seen around 11:30 AM on Saturday heading to the Silver Creek - Grizzly Gulch trailhead.

Hinsdale County Search Rescue, Lake San Cristobal Peninsula Park, and other first responders conducted an extensive search operation, scouring the mountainous terrain for any trace of Brownlee.