Heartbreaking Twist in Search for Missing US Space Force Member

Search crews found the body of a 23-year-old hiker who disappeared earlier this week as he climbed the highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The park reported late Thursday night that Lucas Macaj had been recovered from Mills Glacier, near Longs Peak. Initial investigations indicated “he fell a considerable distance.”

Officials from the park said, “Rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park completed an investigation on-scene and recovered bodies by helicopter. His body was transported to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office from a landing area in Rocky Mountain National Park.”

Macaj was last heard from early Sunday afternoon “when he texted a friend indicating that he was on the summit” of the 14,259 ft. Longs Peak, the National Park Service says.

The Colorado Army National Guard was one of the agencies involved in a search that started Monday. According to the NPS, “air reconnaissance teams, ground teams, and canine teams” were used to find Macaj.

According to the NPS, “significant storms” moved through the high elevations of the park on the day Macaj disappeared. His vehicle was still at the Longs Peak Trailhead the next morning after he had been reported missing.

Macaj was a member of the U.S. Space Force who had been trying to climb Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route. He vanished.

The National Park Service (NPS) warns in a description of Longs Peak that “the Keyhole Route may experience winter conditions at any time and require greater skill and judgment” and “Be prepared for sudden, dramatic weather changes.”