Authorities have identified the backpacker whose body was found at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park after he was reported overdue.
The Montrose County coroner’s office said Ryan Wood Moss, 24, was living in Colorado Springs before his death. Park officials said he was from North Carolina.
Moss was a senior at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, where he was studying geography and environmental studies.“We are in process of reaching out to his family to express our condolences,” said Thomas Hutton, a university spokesman.
Moss’ body was found Monday after he failed to return from the park’s Warner Route on Saturday as planned. Rangers launched a search after concerned family members contacted authorities.
A helicopter recovered Moss on Tuesday.
The coroner’s office said Moss’ cause and manner of death are pending the results of an autopsy scheduled at Montrose Memorial Hospital.
The National Park Service said Moss appeared to have died from a fall. His body was found near the base of a cliff.
