Colorado Remains Are Believed to Be West German Hiker Missing Since 1983

Human remains found in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado are believed to be those of a hiker who disappeared nearly 40 years ago during a ski trip, officials at the park said on Thursday.

In February 1983, Rudi Moder, a 27-year-old man from West Germany who was living in Fort Collins, Colo., was reported overdue by his roommate, six days after he had set out for a two-to-three-night ski trip over Thunder Pass and into the Rocky Mountain National Park, the National Park Service said in a news release on Thursday. Mr. Moder had been described as an experienced winter mountaineer.

During an extensive four-day search, rescuers found a snow cave that contained Mr. Moder’s sleeping bag and other gear, and a cache of food nearby.