Mystery Solved with Tragic Turn as Missing 19-Year-Old Found Dead in Colorado National Park

The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office initially announced that Dallas Roberts was missing in a Facebook post on October 30.

According to officials, the 19-year-old college student was last spotted on October 28 in the vicinity of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Authorities shared this information with the public to aid in the search efforts and raise awareness about Roberts’ disappearance in the rugged park area.

The search for Dallas Roberts came to a tragic conclusion when his body was found within the boundaries of the national park, according to a statement from the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office on November 2.

Authorities confirmed that the discovery marked the end of the intensive search efforts, which had involved multiple teams and resources focused on locating the missing college student in the challenging terrain of the park.

On October 28, park rangers discovered Dallas Roberts’ vehicle crashed about 150 feet off the road and down a hillside within the park. Although the car was located, his body was not immediately found. Reports indicate that the vehicle had been traveling at high speed before it veered off the road.

 “The family is quite concerned as well. They’ve been trying to do searches on their own too. They’ve been very cooperative in trying to find Mr. Roberts,” Lillard said before Roberts’ remains were found, the Montrose Daily Press reported.

“We’re gravely concerned because of the extremely cold weather,” Lillard added at the time.

According to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, park rangers were initially unable to respond to Roberts’ crash as they were stationed on the North Rim of Gunnison at the time. Montrose County Sheriff Gene Lillard noted that a cadaver dog was brought in by both the Montrose and Mesa County Sheriff’s Offices to aid in the search, as reported by McClatchy News.

Several days after the crash, National Park Service officials discovered a sweater approximately half a mile from the accident site, which Roberts’ family later confirmed as his.

Sheriff Lillard reported that drone footage helped emergency rescue teams locate Roberts’ body, which was found in bushes about 200 feet below a ledge partway down the granite cliffside.

Dallas Roberts was a student at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction and previously resided in Montrose, where many of his family members still live, according to the Daily Sentinel. While the investigation is ongoing, his official cause of death has yet to be determined.

The Black Canyon region of Gunnison National Park, where Roberts went missing, spans roughly 31,000 acres. The area is known for its rugged, isolated landscape, which includes steep, dramatic cliffs and challenging terrain. The park is also home to the Gunnison River, which cuts through the canyon, adding to the area’s dramatic natural beauty but also its inherent risks.