Searchers found what they believe is the body of a Castle Rock woman Monday who had gone missing from a hiking trip in remote Douglas County.
Carolyn Gjendem, 52, was found Monday afternoon behind a boulder off in a remote area of Rampart Range Road, about six miles from where her Chevy Blazer was parked near a trailhead.
Late Monday afternoon, authorities could not rule out foul play as investigators were working the area.
“We just won’t know until they have completed their work,” said Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
An autopsy will be performed Tuesday or Wednesday, and authorities would likely have a positive identification by that time.
A search volunteer spotted tracks off the side of the road, followed them and found Gjendem, Heyden said.
The woman was known to be a hiker, “but not an avid hiker,” she said.
Gjendem’s disappearance on Thursday had stymied searchers from Douglas, Arapahoe and El Paso counties.
The area is a favorite spot for snowmobilers, which covered most of the footprints, said Paul Miller, spokesman for Douglas County Search & Rescue.
“The difficult part was not finding any clues,” he said. “There was nothing out of place, no tracks we could follow because of the snowmobile traffic.”
He did not name the volunteer who found Gjendem.
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
