The 23-year-old, James Moen, was last seen on Jan. 9 entering the national park in his vehicle, Grand Junction Police said.
A Colorado man who had been reported missing in early January was found dead in his wrecked vehicle at the Colorado National Monument, officials said.
James Moen, 23, was last seen on Jan. 9 entering the national park in his vehicle, Grand Junction Police said in a news release.
"His last known location was between mile marker 11 and 12 on Rim Rock Drive, which is a scenic route that travels through the park, flanked by steep drop-offs at several points along the road," a search and rescue group wrote on Facebook.
Local authorities searched the Colorado National Monument on foot and by drones in hopes of locating him, according to police.
On Jan. 25, the Rangers of the Colorado National Monument were alerted of a crashed vehicle near the Ute Canyon Overlook, police said.
Authorities responded to the crash site and found a vehicle matching the description of Moen’s vehicle. Search and rescue teams also responded to the site. They discovered a deceased person inside the vehicle, officials said.
“The Grand Junction Police Department is grateful to the community for its support and help in locating James Moen,” police said.
Moen's mother, who took to social media to spread awareness that Moen was missing, wrote on Moen's Facebook after authorities shared that they had found him. "You will never be just a memory," she wrote. "Your(sic) now the piece of my heart that aches for truth and answers and for YOU."
Authorities say the cause and manner of Moen’s death are under investigation.
