Remains of Missing Navy Recruiter Found Near Popular Local Trail

Local Crews Rescue Injured Snowboarder on Pikes Peak

Trevor Phipps

Area rescue officials and emergency responders have experienced little letdown in grappling with highly publicized reports of missing hikers and individuals lost or stranded in wilderness spots, especially as the cold weather moves in.

Local first responder crews recently launched a massive and heroic-style search in Divide, with the assistance of special canines and even a Blackhawk helicopter provided by the military. The search captured major attention on social media outlets, with many hoping for a positive outcome. It was prompted by a 911 call concerning the welfare of a Navy recruiter, made several days before the New Year holiday.

After several days of searching, rescue crews located the body of the missing man, identified as Joel Tovar near the Horsethief Falls Trail located off S. Hwy. 67 between Cripple Creek and Divide. Unfortunately, the Navy recruiter died, but the search conducted was intense, along with the recovery effort.

The recent event added to the list of a slew of calls the local search and rescue organization has responded to in the last several weeks. Now that winter is here, first responders must tackle adverse elements to locate people missing in the wilderness.

The search for Tovar was launched in the afternoon of December 29 when the Teller County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call saying that the Navy recruiter was missing.

“The caller stated that Mr. Tovar had made statements that led them to believe that he may be suicidal,” the sheriff’s office reported in a social media post. “Deputies located Mr. Tovar’s car at the trailhead to Horsethief Falls and searched it for clues as to his intentions and whereabouts. They began the search for Mr. Tovar on the trails from the trailhead, interviewing hikers as they encountered them, but were unable to locate him.”

When the deputies searched Tovar’s car they found clues that he may be out on the trail or somewhere in the wilderness including hiking gear and his cell phone. However, search efforts that afternoon and evening proved to be unsuccessful.

The next morning, Teller County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) was activated to expand the search along with two tracking dog teams. Each dog and its handler were joined by a deputy and members of the search and rescue team to aid the evacuation of the missing man.

During the search efforts that including a dozen search and rescue personnel, one of the canine teams thought they caught trail of Tovar. But this turned into a false lead.

Overall, the teams searched approximately 36 miles of trails in the area in the search for Tovar. “Searchers are exploring Horsethief Falls Trail, Pancake Rocks Trail, and the Crags Trail,” the sheriff’s social media post stated the day after Tovar was reported missing. “Horsethief Falls Trail is considered moderately challenging, climbing the eastern side of Pikes Peak. Branching off is Pancake Rocks Trail, also considered moderately challenging. A connector leads to the Crags Trail, a moderately challenging trail on the northeast side of Pikes Peak. A military friend of Mr. Tovar has also been in contact with the Sheriff’s Office to provide information that may aid in the search.”

However, even though the dog tracking teams worked on locating Tovar the entire day until nighttime conditions made it unsafe, the missing man was not located on December 30. On December 31, the search and rescue/dog teams continued the search with the help of a MEDEVAC UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter provided by the military that landed at Divide Fire Station.

No updates were given by the sheriff’s office on New Year’s Day, but they did post on January 2 to warn the public that the search efforts were still underway in the area of Horsethief Trail. Then in the afternoon of Jan. 2, the sheriff’s office announced that they had located the remains of the missing man.

“Following a four-day search, the remains of Joel Tovar were removed from a location approximately 400 feet to the southeast from Horsethief Falls on the western slope of Pikes Peak, high up on a steep rock formation, tucked back on a ledge,” the sheriff’s office reported. “Before the remains could be moved, the deputy coroner and a detective from the Teller County Sheriff’s Office conducted an initial inspection of them for the investigation.”

Using three teams: one at the top of the formation, one at the remains and one at the bottom of the rock formation, the team used ropes to evacuate the body. Tovar’s cause of death still hasn’t been released.

Search and Rescue Crews Save Backcountry Snowboader

Another incident, involving search and rescue crews, grabbed much attention in the last month. And luckily, this one concluded with a happy ending.

Just before Christmas on December 22, the TCSAR (Teller County Search and Rescue) team was requested to assist an injured backcountry snowboarder in getting off of Pikes Peak. The efforts to rescue the snowboarder took most of the day before TCSAR announced that the rescue was successful at around 7 p.m. that evening.

Pictures posted on social media showed the rescue crews setting up ropes to assist the snowboarder on steep, snowy terrain. All in all, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office, Ute Pass Regional Health Service District, Flight For Life Colorado, El Paso County Search and Rescue, good Samaritans and Pikes Peak personnel all helped in the rescue.

In a social media post, TCSAR highlighted a picture of the injured snowboarder’s scratched and severely dented helmet as a way to warn the public of the dangers of skiing or snowboarding in the high mountain backcountry.

“Folks, this is why we recommend helmets for many activities in the mountains,” the TCSAR social media post stated. “This one helped a backcountry snowboarder survive a fall on Pikes Peak today. Skiing conditions on the peak are rarely good before spring. Wind loaded and sun baked breakable crust spaced between boilerplate is a recipe for accidents like this. Breakable crust takes out knees and boilerplate makes for a painful and potentially fatal ride.”

In addition, experts warn that these types of skiing expeditions on Pikes Peak, which are legal, but with a “ski at your own risk code,” are heavily frowned upon during the winter. It is best to do these excursions in the spring or early summer, and only if you are an advanced skier or snowboader.