CHAFFEE COUNTY, Co. —The bodies of two college students were found on West Apostle Mountain in Colorado.
According to a social media reprort from the Chaffee County, Colorado sheriff, 19-year-old Kaden Matsuda and 20-year-old Jackson Donlon were located deceased at about 3:30p.m. Wednesday in a basin of West Apostle Mountain in Chaffee County.
"Foul play is not suspected, and we will not offer theories as to what may have happened until an autopsy can be completed. A detailed investigation will be completed in partnership with the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office. The two were found near each other."
Just after 10a.m. on October 26, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a call about two missing hikers. The call was from staff at Colorado Mountain College Leadville Campus explaining that two of their students, Kaden Matsuda, 19 from Ridgway, Colorado and Jackson Donlon, 20 from New York, departed the campus on Friday October 23rd, 2026 enroute to hike in Chaffee County and had not returned.
Family and friends were interviewed, and it was learned that Kaden and Jackson planned on hiking Ice Mountain on the far north end of Chaffee County. Typically, hikers planning this hike would drive near Winfield (County Road 390) and access Mt. Huron trailhead. Deputies responded to the trailhead and located Kaden’s vehicle.
According to friends, Kaden and Jackson planned on returning from the hike on Saturday if they didn’t feel safe. If they continued to Ice Mountain, they would return on Sunday. Friends and family explained that both were experienced hikers and should have had appropriate clothing. Kaden and Jackson also sent their friends a text with a map plot that pinpoints Ice Mountain as their destination. The image also showed the area around Winfield and the trailhead circled potentially indicating where they would go in and/or camp.
When deputies and search and rescue personnel arrived at the trailhead and located Kaden’s vehicle, they noted that there was about eight inches of snow on the ground but none under the vehicle. On Friday when the two ventured to the mountain it would have been raining in the area. In fact, there were showers, on and off, for multiple days. On Saturday there was a brief weather window that morning but between 1 and 2p.m. it started snowing. The snow was very heavy and created horrific road conditions around Chaffee County. Chaffee County had to deal with over a dozen “slide offs” and traffic accidents in a matter of minutes around the County.
Ice Mountain is a very technical climb, and it is recommended that hikers be very experienced when trying to tackle it. That is when it is dry. Although there was only about eight inches of snow around Kaden’s vehicle and in the lower basin, Ice Mountain received one to two feet of snow. In some areas of Ice Mountain there are three or four feet of snow because of sluffing and drifting. Because it was only the first big snow, avalanche possibilities were not a huge concern. The mountain, hence, the name, is also now incased in ice from the rain/snow. To access the mountain teams would have to cross boulder fields that are now covered in all the snow making it extremely dangerous and virtually impossible on foot. There is also nowhere on the mountain a helicopter could land to bring staff in.
Chaffee County Search and Rescue (north and south) deployed to the area and began a search mission for the two hikers. The fresh blanket of snow made it easy to watch for tracks but, unfortunately, no human tracks were located. The area of Ice Mountain and other near peaks were heavily searched by aircraft including multiple drones, helicopters and the multimission aircraft with infrared technology, but Kaden and Jackson were not located at that time.
Forensic examinations were completed regarding both of their cellular phones. It was learned that neither of the cellular phones had been used in the last 48 hours. The service in the area would be almost nonexistent, and they certainly could have turned the phones off to preserve the batteries, which makes the 48 hours less concerning. Search dogs were also brought into the basin and trailhead to search for the hikers, but they were unsuccessful.
On October 27, searchers went back into the area to continue the search. Approximately fifty searchers are being utilized to assist. The search team is a collective from multiple teams including Teller County, Lake County, Chaffee County, Arapaho County and Park County. Again, dogs and arial searchers were used and shortly after 12:00PM a helicopter spotted an object near Lake Ann.
A search team was sent in on foot to this area and discovered that the object was the hiker’s tent that had collapsed under the weight of the snow. There was no snow under the tent and there were no visible footprints in the snow which suggested, again, this was all in place before the snow came in. Their sleeping bags, a stove and some clothing were inside the tent, but Kaden and Jackson were not located.
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The two Colorado Mountain College Students who have gone missing near Ice Mountain in Chaffee County. We currently have about sixty search and rescue members searching, a collective from Chaffee County North and South Search and Rescue, Fremont County Search and Rescue, Teller County Search and Rescue, Arapahoe County Search and Rescue, and Lake County Search and Rescue. Gunnison County Search and Rescue is assisting on the other side of the mountain range, on their side, in the event Kaden and Jackson summited and went back over the other side where there may be less snow. Flight for Life and Canon City Helitac are assisting with helicopter flights. Drone teams are also hard at work
We also have canines and handlers that were flown into the location of the tent including our very own Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Canine Archie “Arch” who was recently in the news for helping search and rescue teams locate three missing children in the wilderness in Chaffee County. The canine handlers will use fresh scent articles found in the tent to assist their canine partners in the search. Members of our Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office Investigation team were also flown into the area where the tent was found to assist in finding clues. No foul play is suspected.
We have shifted a bit, based on where the tent was found, to the West Apostle Mountain near Ice Mountain. West Apostle makes more sense as a destination based on where their tent was found. We have also interviewed friends who explained that they have camped with one of the missing hikers in the same location in the past when West Apostle was the destination.
Kaden and Jackson’s dorms were searched, and their climbing equipment was not found. The equipment was not located in their vehicle at the trailhead nor in their tent, which suggests they were prepared for a more technical climb when they left their tent. There was evidence (trash) found inside the tent to suggest the two put plenty of fuel (food) in their body before they started their hike. Their “walk in” footwear (tennis shoe style) was found in their tent and their footwear used for advanced climbing was missing.
A single set of, what is believed to be, human foot tracks were found partially buried in the snow near the tent. Search teams are currently investigating. Another, single set of human tracks, were found going down into Texas Creek Trailhead that is being investigated. It is believed this set of tracks was left by a hunter, but it will not be eliminated until we know for sure.
It is believed that Jackson was wearing an avalanche beacon, so we do have Flight for Life utilizing their beacon technology in hopes to find a signal. The beacon was not found in his dorm. Detectives are also working hard on technology search warrants in hopes of finding data from their cellular phones (known apps they have, etc.) to find clues regarding plans they may have documented. We have not located their physical cellular phones. Some snow in the area is melting, which could be helpful by uncovering other clues.
Currently, we are not asking for help from the public. It is an extremely dangerous area, and we don’t want to have other injuries in the field that detract our attention away from finding Kaden and Jackson. The area is also currently a no-fly zone so please do not utilize drones in the area as it could be very dangerous for our pilots. There are also a lot of moose in the area. October is mating season so Bulls are very territorial and can be aggressive. Calves are also still with their mothers who can also be aggressive in defense of their young.
Our mission for the next several days is to keep searching and throwing as many assets as we can into the area. We expect poor weather to start rolling in on Friday that could last for several days. This potential weather pattern could have an impact on our abilities so we will continue to flood the area during the critical window. Our ability to search on foot is limited in the area so we are relying heavily on aerial technology. Poor weather impacts our ability to use those tools.
“We continue to ask you to pray and send out good vibes for the family and these young men. We have learned a lot about them and know that they are very strong and capable of enduring tough conditions. Hope is not lost by family and friends, nor us. We are proud of these young men concerning how prepared they were, but sometimes mother nature throws you a curveball. Almost all the safety measures we tell backcountry explorers to use, these men did. That is a testament to their upbringing, strength and knowledge. A lot of people are asking how they can help. If you really want to help, not just in Chaffee County, but across the state, donate to search and rescue if you have the means. These brave men and women are all volunteers and use their own money for equipment, etc. They take time away from their families and careers to help when we all need them. We have one of the best, if not the best, teams in Colorado. Right now, we are even stronger because of our partner counties who are giving us resources. We can’t thank them enough.” -Sheriff Andy Rohrich