A Colorado hiker who disappeared in August was found months later, with his Jack Russell terrier waiting at his side.
A local hunter found the body of Rich Moore, 71, late last month near Blackhead Peak in southwestern Colorado, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said. Finney, his dog, was alive and has been reunited with Moore’s family.
Moore’s cause of death has not yet been determined, but foul play is not suspected, Sheriff Mike Le Roux said.
Moore, who was reported missing Aug. 19, planned to summit Blackhead Peak, a 12,500-foot mountain east of his hometown in Pagosa Springs, according to Taos, New Mexico, Search and Rescue.
Aerial, ground and K9 teams conducted a 2,000-hour search of the Blackhead Peak area, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said.
Last year, search-and-rescue teams in Arizona recovered the body of a 74-year-old hiker whose dog, Ranger, stayed with him despite being severely dehydrated and exhausted.
After another hiker died in Los Angeles last year, his dog waited by his side for two weeks.
Natalie Kainz
Natalie Kainz is a news associate for NBC News.
Josh Cradduck
Assignment Editor, NBC News