Officials said two college students who were found dead following a hike in Colorado died after a “catastrophic failure” of their equipment.
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office previously said Kaden Matsuda, 19, from Ridgway, Colorado, and Jackson Donlon, 20, from Queensbury, New York, were located in a basin of the West Apostle Mountain around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 29.
Both men, who were students at Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville Campus, were found dead days after being reported missing by school staff on Oct. 26.
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In an updated statement from the sheriff’s office and the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office, an autopsy revealed both died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries, saying their deaths “were instant.”
An investigation revealed that Donlon was beginning to rappel from a primary anchor point on a rock substrate. That anchor, officials said, appeared to have been backed up by a piton and a secondary anchor made of rock substrate.
Authorities said Matsuda was “attached via his personal anchor device to the same anchor points, as well as the primary anchor point.”
“The anchor had a catastrophic failure of unknown cause,” the joint statement said. “Both then fell a substantial distance (exact distance unknown).”
Officials said it is unclear whether a heavy snowstorm that had swept through the area had a negative impact leading to the incident. The statement said weather, however, did not play a direct role in their deaths.
“Kaden and Jackson lived life at the highest peaks chasing freedoms and panoramic views that most of us only see in pictures. We hope their families and friends find strength in the memories of their vibrant spirits,” Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in the statement. “While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County’s high peaks that they loved. There is also relief knowing neither of them suffered.”
