Colorado hiker missing for months found dead, his dog still alive by his side

A Colorado hiker missing since August was found dead with his dog still alive and at his side, officials said last week.

Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Springs, went hiking with his dog up Blackhead Peak, a mountain just east of his home, on Aug. 19 and never returned, Taos Seach and Rescue (TSR) said.

Crews were inserted via helicopter just below the mountain peak and moved west in their search for Moore toward the trailhead, where his car was found parked, the search and rescue said. The team, however, was unable to find Moore.

On Oct. 30, a hunter in the Rio Blanco drainage about 2.5 miles east of the peak discovered the body of Moore, the Denver Gazette reported, citing the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office. Moore's white Jack Russell terrier, Finney, was found alive next to Moore’s body.

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TSR member Delinda Vanne-Brightyn said she was part of the initial search for Moore along with her certified search dog.

"It was so steep, we were inserted in by a helicopter," she said in a post on the TSR’s Facebook page. "He was found 2.5 miles East of the mountain-top beneath where we were inserted."

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Moore’s cause of death had yet to be determined, the sheriff’s office told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Finney was taken to a veterinarian and has since been reunited with the family, the report said.

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Blackhead Peak has an elevation of 12,500 feet and is located on the western boundary of the South San Juan Wilderness in Archuleta County.