19-year-old vanishes in Colorado national park, officials say. ‘My heart is breaking’
UPDATE: The missing man’s body was found in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument on Sunday, Nov. 3, according to the Montrose County Sheriff.
The original story is below.
A 19-year-old man missing for several days vanished in a rugged national park in western Colorado, officials said.
Dallas Roberts was last seen Oct. 28 in the Black Canyon area of the Gunnison National Park, Montrose County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 30 post on Facebook.
Roberts is 5 feet, 11 inches, and is about 130 pounds, deputies said. He has brown, slightly curly hair, brown eyes, and appears to have his ears pierced.
He’s from Montrose, which is about a 12-mile drive southwest from the park and about a 65-mile drive west of the town of Gunnison.
All three areas are on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, about a 235-mile drive west from Colorado Springs.
Officials asked anyone with information about his location to contact Western Colorado Regional Dispatch Center at 970-249-9110.
“We’re gravely concerned because of the extremely cold weather,” Montrose County Sheriff Gene Lillard told the Montrose Daily Press.
Lillard told the publication Roberts’ vehicle was found Oct. 28 about 150 feet down a hill into brush. Earlier that day, the vehicle was spotted traveling at a high rate of speed while bypassing the national park’s entry gate, according to the sheriff.
When a deputy found the car, it was empty, but authorities said there was evidence the driver had hit his head on the windshield, according to the Daily Press.
Black Canyon spans almost 31,000 acres of rugged, remote terrain that surrounds part of a deep, steep-walled gorge carved into rock by the Gunnison River.
Trails pass by views of the canyon’s dramatic drop-offs, so hikers must “be cautious,” according to the national park’s website.
Drinking water is not available in the park from late fall through mid-spring and was shut off Oct. 7, the park service said.
Several people asked about search efforts in the comments, stressing that time is of the essence as fall turns to winter and it becomes colder in the area.
“The sooner you get foot on ground the quicker we can (find) him,” someone said. “The weather is getting really cold at night.”
Several people also commented saying they knew Roberts at various points throughout his life. Many parents said their kids had known him or dated him in school and shared that he was “an amazing individual.”
“We are (praying) so hard for Dallas and his family,” one said. “He dated my daughter and she is heartbroken right now…they need to be out looking it’s cold out there.”
One person shared that Roberts had worked for them over the summer, also adding that “he was amazing.”
“Such a wonderful young man,” they said. “My heart is breaking!”
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 5:04 PM with the headline "19-year-old vanishes in Colorado national park, officials say. ‘My heart is breaking’."
