Remains identified as missing hiker

Search crews had been forced to scale back their search efforts this fall after multi-stage operations in August and September yielded no signs of the missing hiker. But according to Mt. Crested Butte Police department spokesperson Marjorie Trautman, police had asked hunters to keep an eye out for signs of Ahlbrandt. “As the seasons passed, we knew hunters would be in the area on horseback or by foot and accessing remote terrain, and we certainly got the word out,” Trautman said. Last week, a hunting party found a small waist-pack in the Middle Anthracite Creek area that contained a cell phone with Ahlbrandt’s name on it. Search and rescue crews, which consisted of members from Crested Butte Search & Rescue and Western State Colorado University Search & Rescue, returned to the area on Wednesday, October 29. They discovered Ahlbrandt’s remains at approximately 12:45 p.m. that day, and also found a jacket containing her identification. The Montrose County medical examiner later confirmed Ahlbrandt’s identity using dental records, and listed her death as undetermined and accidental. The Mt. Crested Butte Police Department has expressed gratitude for the many community and statewide partners who helped search for Ahlbrandt, including residents of the Gunnison Valley, residents of neighboring counties, and individuals from the Front Range. “This is yet another example how, when someone is in need, this community pulls together and really gets out there,” Trautman said. “I don’t think there was a time that there weren’t others out in the area, continuing to search for [Ahlbrandt] even after the search was called off, including people from the local community … and all parts of the state.”