Authorities said foul play is not suspected as the coroner’s investigation continues.
SALIDA, Colo. — Kaden Sites, a 27-year-old Salida man who disappeared during a solo turkey hunt near Mount Shavano, was found dead April 25 near Tabeguache Creek after a 10-day search through rugged Chaffee County backcountry, authorities said.
The discovery ended a large search that began the evening of April 15, after Sites failed to return for a doctor’s appointment. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said his body was found about 1.5 miles from where his truck had been located near the Blanks Cabin Trailhead. Officials said foul play is not suspected, but they have not released a cause or manner of death.
Sites left for the hunting trip at about 1:30 p.m. April 15 and was expected back in Salida by 3:45 p.m. When he did not arrive, family members began looking for him and found his truck near the trailhead on the southeast side of Mount Shavano. His cellphone was inside the vehicle, and its battery was dead. Search teams were called in that evening. Sheriff Andy Rohrich said there was hope throughout the effort that Sites would be found alive. “Our hearts go out to the Sites family and friends,” Rohrich said after the body was found.
The search drew law enforcement officers, Chaffee County Search and Rescue crews, dog teams, drones, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and volunteers into steep, wooded terrain southwest of Salida. Authorities said searchers covered about 20 square miles and more than 6,000 search hours before Sites was found. Crews also searched areas more than once because dense shrubs, downed timber and uneven ground made it possible to miss a person or clues. Officials said Sites was believed to have carried a shotgun and binocular pack when he left his truck. Investigators also searched his vehicle and phone as part of the missing-person case.
Before the recovery, investigators said they had not found signs pointing to foul play, self-harm or a predator attack. Officials said animal activity appeared unlikely because there were few signs of predator behavior in the search area. They also said they would keep interviewing people and considering all possibilities while the search continued. The sheriff’s office released an AI-generated image during the search to show what Sites was believed to be wearing, including a gray or black hoodie, khaki pants, a camouflage chest pouch and hiking boots. Earlier descriptions of his clothing had changed as investigators refined what they believed he wore that day.
The search area sits in a mountainous part of central Colorado near the Sawatch Range, where trailheads can quickly lead into remote forest, drainages and high country. Blanks Cabin Trailhead is used by hikers and hunters heading toward Mount Shavano and nearby Tabeguache Peak. During the search, officials warned that the terrain could be dangerous for people without backcountry experience. Weather also complicated the effort, with cold nights, wind and conditions that made aerial searches harder at times. The sheriff’s office had at first asked community volunteers to stay away so trained crews and aircraft could work without interference, then later allowed volunteers back into the area as the search changed.
Sites’ body was found by volunteer searchers near Tabeguache Creek. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, Chaffee County Search and Rescue and the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office recovered him from the wilderness area. Rohrich said the search was hard on crews and loved ones. “Very tired, our entire team is,” he said. The sheriff also thanked neighboring counties and volunteers who joined the effort, saying they helped when Chaffee County needed support. He said the outcome was painful but gave the family some closure after days of uncertainty.
Hannah Sites, Kaden Sites’ sister, said during the search that the family was grateful for the number of people who cared about her brother and the effort to find him. Family members and friends had followed the search closely as crews moved through the forest and around the trailhead. Local reports described Sites as part of the Salida community, and Rohrich said Chaffee County had lost a valued member. The sheriff said he believed Sites was no longer alive when the search began, a conclusion he said brought some relief to searchers who had worried he might have been suffering while they looked for him.
The case remains under investigation while the coroner’s office works to determine the cause and manner of death. Authorities have not said what happened after Sites left his truck or how long he may have survived in the backcountry. By Tuesday, April 28, the active search had ended, and officials were waiting on medical findings to answer the remaining questions.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.