Missing pair found dead on Capitol Peak

The bodies of an Aspen couple were found Tuesday afternoon at the base of the north face of Capitol Peak, an official said.

A helicopter crew spotted the bodies about 2:25 p.m., said Jesse Steindler, a commander with the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. While confirmation of their identities has not yet been made by the coroner, officials are certain, based on clothing and equipment found with the bodies, that they are a man and woman who have been missing since Sunday afternoon.

While posts about the missing couple were on Facebook and other websites Tuesday, The Aspen Times is not releasing their names until the next of kin has been notified.

The couple in their midto late-20s were last seen very close to the summit of Capitol Peak, Steindler said.

The couple planned to hike Capitol on Sunday, according to friends, and were reported missing when they did not return that afternoon. There was speculation on social media that they might have stayed an extra night to see Monday’s eclipse.

According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, because their plans were “somewhat tentative and there was no confirmed medical emergency it was decided that the urgency to initiate a search was not great. By Monday evening, when the couple had not yet returned, the urgency increased.”

The couple are the third and fourth deaths on Capitol Peak this summer. Since 2003, eight people have died climbing the mountain.

On Aug. 6, 35-year-old Jeremy Shull of Parker fell from the east side of the ridge between K2 and the Knife Edge. On July 15, Jack Lord, 25, also from Parker died when a boulder he was holding gave way on the ridge between Capitol and Mount Daly.