U.S.

Colorado hiker missing since August found dead, his dog found alive next to his body

BY STEPHEN SMITH
NOVEMBER 13, 2023 / 6:45 AM EST / CBS NEWS

A hiker missing since August has been found dead in Colorado with his dog still alive next to his body, authorities said. ... The body of 71-year-old Rich Moore of Pagosa Springs, who had been missing since Aug. 19, was found on Oct. 30, according to a Facebook post last week by Taos Search and Rescue. Moore's dog was found alive by his side.

The Denver Gazette, citing the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office, reported Moore and his dog had gone missing after planning to summit Blackhead Peak, which is about 20 miles east of Pagosa Springs.



Blackhead Peak is located in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado.

The sheriff's office said that Moore's body was found on Oct. 30 by a hunter in the Lower Blanco drainage basin, which is in a valley southeast of Blackhead Peak's summit, the Gazette reported. His white Jack Russell terrier, Finney, was next to the body, the sheriff's office said.

On Oct. 31, members of the sheriff's office and a search and rescue team were flown into the area to locate and recover Moore's body, the Gazette reported, citing the sheriff's office. Finney was transported to a veterinary hospital for treatment and has since been reunited with her family, officials said. ... Officials did not release Moore's cause of death, but said that foul play is not suspected. ... Blackhead Peak, which has an elevation of 12,500 feet, is located in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado.

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