Missing Hiker Fell 200 Feet, Died Instantly: Officials

BOULDER, CO – The body of a 60-year-old Illinois man was recovered from Rocky Mountain National Park Sunday and brought to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Jens “Jay” Yambert, of Urbana, Illinois went missing in the national park last week near Longs Peak. On Friday, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members found Yambert's body west of Keplinger’s Couloir, below the Homestretch, at 12,600 feet in elevation, the National Park Service said.

Saturday, team members performed moved the body "down approximately 50 feet of extremely steep terrain covered in loose scree just west of Keplinger’s couloir," the agency said in a statement. Rescuers lowered the body to a rock shelf area that was safer for a helicopter recovery Sunday.

Investigators said they believed Yambert took a "200 foot tumbling fall" and appears to have died instantly, they said.

Family told Rocky Mountain National Park rangers Yambert was overdue on Tuesday, Aug. 28. Yambert is believed to have started from the Longs Peak Trailhead at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26. His rental car was found at the trailhead Tuesday night. It was unknown what Yambert’s planned destination or route was. Visitors saw Yambert on Monday morning, Aug. 27, along the "Keyhole Route" a notch rock formation between Longs Peak and Storm Peak.

Yambert was a physician in Danville, Illinois and left behind a wife and five children and several grandchildren, according to his obituary. Services are planned forFriday, Sept. 7, 2018, from at Morgan Memorial Home, Savoy, Illinois. In lieu of other gifts of sympathy, his family requests donations be made in his name to the Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue in Colorado.

Image via Rocky Mountain National Park

Stay up-to-date on Colorado news with Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: Email Newsletters and Email Alerts|Facebook