Searchers have found the body of an Air Force officer who failed to return from a hiking trip in Colorado’s rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 160 miles south of Denver.
They body of Lt. Col. Dan Wallick, 41, who worked in integrated missile defense at Schriever Air Force Base, east of Colorado Springs, was spotted Saturday in rugged terrain, and searchers returned to the area Sunday to recover it, according to a news release from Custer County Search & Rescue.
Wallick texted his family Wednesday after summiting two of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains, Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak, but then wasn’t heard from again.
“His descent was back towards Challenger, but it is not known what he did from the saddle on the way down,” said Sarah Proper, a family friend, on social media.
Wallick’s family placed a 911 call with Saguache County Wednesday evening, saying his return was overdue, according to the Custer County news release. Saguache County Search and Rescue then sought assistance from multiple agencies at 6 a.m. Thursday.
Search and rescue teams covered the major trail systems and routes leading to the top of the two mountains, but were unable to find the missing hiker. More than a dozen agencies and organizations took part, including Wallick’s command, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Buckley Air Force Base and the Colorado Army National Guard.
On Saturday, a helicopter with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, spotted his body. Due to the difficult terrain and deteriorating weather conditions, the search teams were re-inserted Sunday to access and recover Wallick.
Wallick had a wife and two children, according to Proper, the family friend.
