Remains Identified As Missing Hiker, Kevin Rudnicki, 20

EL PASO COUNTY, CO – Human remains found in a remote area near Mt. Herman were identified by the El Paso County Coroner's office as those of missing hiker Kevin Rudnicki, 20.

The sheriff's office said deputies were summoned on Dec. 12 around 9:40 a.m. to a remote area near Balanced Rock Road and Forest Service Road 322 and found the remains.

Kevin Rudnicki, a junior at the University of Wyoming, disappeared in early September after telling his mother he was going on a hike near Mt. Herman.

The sheriff's office did not give a cause of death, and will release that information when the coroner has determined it, a press release said.

"We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Rudnicki," the sheriff's office said in a press release.

More than 80 volunteers on horseback and on foot in helicopters and members of several law enforcement agencies combed the area near Mount Herman searching for Rudnicki, an experienced hiker who was studying to join the U.S. Forest Service. He went missing on a trail where cyclist Tim Watkins, 60, was murdered last year. No arrest has been made in that case.

Rudnicki's mother, Melissa Reynolds, knew Watkins.

"It was the last thing I said to (Rudnicki) before he left,"Reynolds told the Colorado Springs Gazette during the first days of the search. "I said, 'Make sure you have your pocketknife with you, because this is where Tim died a year ago. It's not safe. Just be aware.'"

Related: Searchers Fail To Find Missing Mt. Herman Hiker, 20

Image via El Paso Sheriff's Office

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