Human Remains May Be Missing Hiker Joshua Hall: Sheriff

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — Human remains were found Thursday west of Nederland, and they may be missing hiker Joshua Hall, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.

A Front Range Rescue Dogs volunteer found the remains while they were preparing for an organized search for Hall's body, authorities said.

The discovery was made 4.3 miles west of the Hessie Trailhead, at 730 Fourth of July Road, near a small stream around 0.3 miles off the Diamond Lake Trail, the sheriff's office said.

"At this time, the sex and age of the decedent is unknown due to decomposition and possible animal activity," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

"Based on the location of the discovery, as well as items found near the body, we have cause to believe this may be the body of Hall, however the Boulder County Coroner’s Office will determine the identity of the decedent as well as the cause and manner of death."

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Rescue crews spent 650 hours searching for the 27-year-old Arvada man after he went missing in February, officials said. Hall left from the Hessie Trailhead, where his vehicle was parked, and his cell phone was last tracked from an area near the Devil's Thumb Trail and Diamond Lake cut off.

Around 70 rescuers from more than a dozen agencies were involved in the search efforts, officials said.