Items found may belong to hiker missing since 2005

DENVER (KDVR) — The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday that items found near Mount of the Holy Cross could belong to Michelle Vanek, who has been missing since she left for a hike on the mountain in 2005.

Vanek, who was 35 at the time, went missing on Sept. 24, 2005. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation , she had come up from Denver that morning.

At the summit of the mountain, she said she was very tired and her friend told her that he would go to the top and be right back. That was the last time the friend saw her, and other hikers in the area said they had not seen her either.

A large-scale search effort was launched after her disappearance, with the initial search spanning eight days. Volunteers with the Vail Mountain Rescue Group and other agencies came together during this initial search.

However, Vanek was not found, and the sheriff’s office said that in the nearly 19 years since, there have been numerous formal and informal searches. This includes seven searches in recent years, mainly after discovering a boot that was forensically confirmed to belong to Vanek.

The newly found items “closely resemble” items that were known to be with Vanek, according to the statement. They still need to undergo forensic confirmation.

The exact location of the items was not released. The sheriff’s office said this was due to the sensitive nature of the discovery and out of respect for the ongoing search efforts.

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