A body found in the South Platte River in Denver Saturday afternoon is that of missing man Adam Gilbertson, the Denver medical examiner’s office confirmed Sunday. It is not yet clear what killed him.
Gilbertson was last seen in the early morning hours of Dec. 15, according to family and friends. Originally from Minnesota, the 29-year-old was working as a hospice nurse in Denver at the time of his disappearance. He visited several bars on the evening of Dec. 14, last appearing on surveillance video at Syntax Physic Opera, 554 S. Broadway, as he left the establishment just before 1 a.m. Dec. 15.
A group of friends, family and volunteers gathered near the intersection of South Bannock Street and West Alameda Avenue on Saturday to search for any trace of Gilbertson. A member of that search party found a body in the South Platte River, just south of the Alameda and Interstate 25 interchange, at 2:30 p.m.
Police said that the body was badly decomposed and an autopsy would be required to confirm the identity of the deceased person.
The medical examiner’s office at 9:20 a.m. Sunday issued a news release announcing it had confirmed the body was Gilbertson. The cause and manner of his death is subject to further investigation, the medical examiner said.
