A lieutenant colonel who teaches at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs who went missing Monday was found alive on a Chaffee County mountain Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
When 43-year-old David Richie did not show up for work on Monday, friends and family believed he may have gone hiking in the south end of Chaffee County, according to a Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office news release.
A search was begun of trailheads and campgrounds in the Mount Shavano and Mount Tabeguche area, the release said, but was unsuccessful on Monday, the release said.
On Tuesday, Undersheriff Derek Bos found Richie’s vehicle on the North Fork Road at the Jennings Creek Trailhead.
According to the release, helicopters were sent out due to steep, rugged terrain and within 50 minutes, they spotted Richie stuck on a cliff face with a possible injured leg.
“A Blackhawk helicopter with a hoist was requested to lift the victim off the cliff,” the release said.
Richie was then taken to the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center , the release said.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or
