Homeless man leads CSP to suicide victim

Jane Stebbins
June 22, 2004

SUMMIT COUNTY - A homeless man led Colorado State Patrol (CSP) officers to a car whose driver officials believe might have committed suicide by driving off a steep cliff near the Eisenhower Tunnel five months ago.

Trooper Lloyd Smith reported the man left a suicide note for his family last December.

The family, which lives in Aurora, notified the local CSP office, believing he might be in Summit County.

The next day, the man's brother rented a helicopter to search the area, but didn't locate the man or his car, Smith said.

The Summit Daily News does not print the names of suicide victims.

CSP officials, believing the man might try to conduct a terrorist activity, patrolled the Eisenhower Tunnel area looking for his vehicle that day, but the man never arrived.

At the end of January, a hiker reported he'd found a vehicle, a Honda SUV, on the valley floor below mile marker 211, where there is a vehicle pullout.

The snow was so deep, however, troopers were unable to locate it.

"I walked around there for three hours," Smith said.

"I probably walked right over the vehicle."

Sunday, a homeless man hiking up the trail notified CSP that he'd found the vehicle and the driver, who was dead. The hill was so steep CSP troopers requested the assistance of Summit Search and Rescue Group to lower them to the site.

Smith said the car was at least 300 feet below the edge of the roadway and had flipped at least twice on the way down.

Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson is investigating the official cause of his death.

- Jane Stebbins