Summit County authorities said Monday in August is that of a 27-year-old Breckenridge man who went missing in September 2014.
Jack McAtee’s skull was the only of his remains located on Peak 1, according to officials. The county sheriff’s office said the positive identification was done using DNA.
McAtee, whose family said he was bipolar, and swam to safety with only minor injuries.
A Colorado State Patrol report said his black sedan veered onto the paved bicycle path, cutting through a 10-foot opening between a steel guardrail and a concrete highway barrier, according to a Colorado State Patrol report. The car left the path, rolling for about 135 feet across dirt and gravel along the reservoir. It went airborne for 110 feet, turning end over end, before it crashed into the water.
The car was almost entirely submerged, the report said.
McAtee was taken to a hospital by authorities and then evaluated by a psychologist because he was acting erratically. He was then released and never heard from again.
“Our search has come to fruition,” McAtee’s family said in a statement posted on a website aimed at finding the missing man. “Our closure is at hand, albeit we acknowledge it will be a lifelong process.”
There was an expansive search for McAtee after he went missing, which included the Breckenridge Search and Rescue Team who “dedicated thousands of man hours,” .
Family members initially believed McAtee possibly had been hitchhiking. Searchers sought the help of truckers and truck stops throughout the state and beyond, widely circulating McAtee’s picture.
Taniel Ilano, spokeswoman for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, said an investigating into McAtee’s death remains active and ongoing.
“There’s been no determination on manner or cause of death,” she said.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
