A body found under a bridge in Pitkin County this afternoon is likely that of George Aldrich, the 28-year-old Snowmass Ski Area lift operator who hasn’t been seen since Nov. 27, police said today.
Off-duty members of Mountain Rescue-Aspen found the body under the Maroon Creek Bridge near where Aldrich got off a bus from Aspen to his apartment in Snowmass Village on Nov. 27.
“The circumstances of the death are still pending, but the body is likely that of Mr. Aldrich,” said Aspen Police spokesman Bill Linn. “We don’t have positive identification yet.”
Aldrich’s family from Rhode Island, who are in Pitkin County, were notified of the discovery, police said.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has joined the inquiry into the death.
The rescue members were looking for Aldrich on their own time, after the ground search was suspended Friday, more than two weeks without any clues.
Aspen police will hold a press conference Tuesday morning near the bus stop where Aldrich was last seen alive at about 10 p.m.
Aldrich had told another passenger on the bus that he had missed his stop and would hitch-hike or walk a few miles home to Snowmass Village. Temperatures in the area were below freezing the night Aldrich disappeared, but he was dressed in a winter coat.
Today, his family increased the reward for information about Aldrich’s whereabouts from $5,000 to $25,000.
“We definitely believe there’s a possibility of a criminal act,” the family said in a statement Sunday night.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
