Local kayakers find body of Grand Junction boater

At the request of the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Department, Wynne and Mann set out on the search Saturday morning. At approximately 2:45 p.m. on July 26, they located the remains of 39-year-old Uriah Shaffer, who had been swept under fast-moving water on May 31. The body was located about four miles south of the Gunnison/Pitkin County line in Pitkin County. “It was wild,” said Wynne. “He was the leader of a group of kayakers that had gone in almost exactly two months ago. He had flipped and gone into a strainer and drowned. No one could find his body after that. When I got the call, I contacted Scotty and we headed over. We spent about four hours just combing every part of that river. We used a GoPro on a metal extender tube to look under logs and anything in that river. “We were headed toward a rapid that we knew to be pretty dangerous,” Wynne continued. “We were coming around a corner and came upon a bridge by Highway 133. There was what looked like some rocks and roots hung up on the divider. When I got closer I could see that what I thought was a rock, wasn’t. I could see bones and at first thought it was a deer. Then we could see it was human remains.” Wynne and Mann got out of the river and Wynne caught a ride to Carbondale. He called the Search and Rescue team, who contacted local law enforcement, who rendezvoused at the bridge scene. “It turned out that Scotty and I went back in the water to get him off the bridge divider,” said Wynne. “They netted the body and he was taken to [Grand Junction]. I was very relieved to find him but I was more relieved for his mom.” Wynne and Mann were aware of the solemnity of the situation. When they initially got out of the water after discovering the body, they were both struck by the flowers on the riverbank. “I took a photo of the flowers to send to his mom,” said Wynne. “To see those flowers made us smile for him and his family.” According to a sheriff’s department notice, “Recovery efforts were conducted with a cooperative effort between the Crested Butte Recovery Team and the Carbondale Fire Department. Both swift-water Crested Butte rescue members stated that the Crystal River waters remain quite treacherous but the particular area where the location was made is calm with a particular tranquil beauty.” The sheriff’s report stated, “Mr. Wynne was insistent in photographing the serene elements of the location so that the victim’s parents and friends might be able to reflect on the peaceful beauty of the location.” The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office received confirmation from Grand Junction Pathology that the located remains were those of the missing man, Uriah Shaffer. “I didn’t know Uriah or his kayaking crew before this,” said Wynne. “I’ve since talked to his mom and his brother and the kayakers who were there with him that day. We’ll be going back over there for a little memorial. “You know, we did it mainly for his mother,” Wynne continued. “It made me think about if it was my mom who was in that situation. It’s crazy. It’s a kayaker thing.”