Found Deceased CO - Eric Pracht, 25, Lakewood, 22 July 2016

[lucidtx]

i dont know if this is helpful but i believe this video shows the terrain/area where the UID was found (is it normal to use volunteers to look for potential evidence or are those plain clothes LE?)
Human remains found on Green Mountain in Lakewood

They're probably plainclothes investigators, maybe professional volunteer SAR.

 

[kelsie]

Remains Of Paramedic Eric Pracht Found, More Than 3 Years After His Disappearance
RIP Eric...

 

[bombardier]

how sad, at least his family and fiance have closure now the above article has been removed, here's another one
Family says items belonging to missing paramedic found with human remains near Green Mountain
"...said in a Facebook post on Friday that although there is no official confirmation, “All signs point to it being Eric with the articles of clothing, his wallet, ID and credit card being found.”"

 

[mlhenn]

Family says items belonging to missing paramedic found with human remains near Green Mountain

An earlier version of this story stated the remains had been identified, however police say there has not been official confirmation at this time.

The Lakewood Police Department said the human remains found near a trail on Green Mountain Thursday morning have been sent out for testing.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

if eric truly walked 10 minutes away from his house and shot himself (or harmed himself some other way..all speculation at the moment of course) and his body wasn't found for 4 years...where the heck was he?? did he crawl behind some rocks or roll under a bush or something? i think its important to know these details to emphasize that future MP searches really need to look /everywhere/ and, literally, leave no stone unturned

The phrase, "We looked everywhere," is 100% meaningless. Always has been, and always will be.

There are countless other examples of this all over the world right now, where a suspicious disappearance isn't suspicious at all. Mere slop in terms of investigation. More finger pointing than actual searching.

I have no idea where they are. Sheer probability dictates their presence and numbers. Cases discussed elsewhere on this site hold the same reality.

 

[lucidtx]

The phrase, "We looked everywhere," is 100% meaningless. Always has been, and always will be.

There are countless other examples of this all over the world right now, where a suspicious disappearance isn't suspicious at all. Mere slop in terms of investigation. More finger pointing than actual searching.

I have no idea where they are. Sheer probability dictates their presence and numbers. Cases discussed elsewhere on this site hold the same reality.

Before jumping to any conclusions about what was done for him, please keep in mind that Eric's family, friends and colleagues were a major force in the search effort. They personally searched this exact area many times themselves as recently as this year. He was a friend of a friend, and a lot of people are going to be beating themselves up over all of this.

 

[windrower]

Eric was found within a mile or so of his apartment, after four years? If he’s been there this entire time, what can be changed with original search protocols to reduce the likelihood of a person or body being missed? Because this happens way too often.

I’m sorry to be critical, but this is so unnerving.

 

[JovanSrna]

Eric was found within a mile or so of his apartment, after four years? If he’s been there this entire time, what can be changed with original search protocols to reduce the likelihood of a person or body being missed? Because this happens way too often.

I’m sorry to be critical, but this is so unnerving.

I wonder if someone has a master list of people who were found dead very close to their last known location.

 

[Andreee]

Eric was found within a mile or so of his apartment, after four years? If he’s been there this entire time, what can be changed with original search protocols to reduce the likelihood of a person or body being missed? Because this happens way too often.

I’m sorry to be critical, but this is so unnerving.

This has happened so many times before in these types of searches, it is just incredibly mind boggling once again. I assume the possibility of the body having been moved some time later has been explored. But so often it is not the case, and I wonder if there is anything possibly to be learned or done differently to improve on search methods in general, although I suspect not. Frustrating for the family for sure, and condolences to them.

 

[margarita25]

Another article:
Remains found near Green Mountain in Lakewood identified as paramedic missing since 2016

 

[oviedo]

Another article:
Remains found near Green Mountain in Lakewood identified as paramedic missing since 2016

I’m very glad for his family and will patiently await further news
JMO

 

[oviedo]

South Park Ambulance District

Monitoring the comments

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Posted by the Lakewood Police Department on its Facebook page 6 hours ago:
“Human Remains Identified as Missing Person Eric Pracht:

Skeletal remains found last week on Green Mountain have now been identified as those of missing Lakewood man Eric Pracht.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on 4/23/20, Lakewood Police were called to a trail on Green Mountain, located near the intersection of W. Alameda Pkwy. and W. Utah Ave. A hiker came across human bones and immediately called 911.

Using dental identification, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has been able to confirm that the remains are those of missing Lakewood man Eric Pracht. Mr. Pracht had been missing since July 23, 2016. He was last seen leaving his apartment in the area of W. Utah Ave. and W. Alameda Pkwy.

Several personal items belonging to Mr. Pracht including a handgun, were recovered at the scene. Detectives with the Lakewood Police Department will continue to follow up on this case. A cause of death has not yet been determined.”
Lakewood Police Department

 

[lucidtx]

The tough thing about first responders is that we're really good at hiding our pain. From what I understand, no one who knew him had reason to be concerned about his mental health. He loved his job and had plenty to look forward to in life. Too often though, someone will seem totally fine and then all of a sudden they're just gone. We often don't talk to our families about our tough calls because we don't want to share disturbing stuff with them, and we don't talk to our colleagues about them because we fear being seen as weak. Every first responder suicide I know of totally blindsided the people closest to them.

Obviously we don't even know COD yet and I hope possibilities like foul play are closely examined, but I'm just sad today thinking that Eric may have been suffering silently. We need to do so much better for our first responders.

 

[NewMama]

I have followed Eric’s case for years and am glad his loved ones have to look no further for him. Rest In Peace, Eric.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Posted by the “In Loving Memory of Paramedic Eric Pracht” (formerly “Help Us Find Missing Paramedic Eric Pracht”) on its Facebook page three hours ago:
“Eric update

It is with a very heavy heart that we bring you this update. After getting the coroner’s report, it appears Eric took his own life. He was found only 130 yards off Alameda Parkway, just north of the condo. We are still at a loss as to how he could have been missed; the area was searched heavily. When something like this happens, it creates more questions than answers. We knew that this was a possibility and tried to prepare ourselves, but you can never truly be ready for this kind of news. However, we do have a great group of family and friends to lean on for support. So, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us search or just being there for us. Your thoughts and prayers have kept our family going through the long four years. There are so many people to thank starting with our family and to those of you we now consider family, to people who have followed Eric’s story and have never even met him or us. We are so thankful to be able to bring him home. We will have a memorial as soon as it’s safe for everyone to come together to celebrate this very special man.

Love you ALL,

Eric’s Family

We know our family is not alone. There are many first responders who are dealing with some type of PTSD and don’t know how to handle it. If you or someone you know is feeling desperate, alone or hopeless, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It’s a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.”
In Loving Memory Of Paramedic Eric Pracht

I really appreciate the family’s candor and honesty here. Rest In Peace, Eric. I am so sorry you were in so much pain.

 

[asmi106082]

Posted by the “In Loving Memory of Paramedic Eric Pracht” (formerly “Help Us Find Missing Paramedic Eric Pracht”) on its Facebook page three hours ago:
“Eric update

It is with a very heavy heart that we bring you this update. After getting the coroner’s report, it appears Eric took his own life. He was found only 130 yards off Alameda Parkway, just north of the condo. We are still at a loss as to how he could have been missed; the area was searched heavily. When something like this happens, it creates more questions than answers. We knew that this was a possibility and tried to prepare ourselves, but you can never truly be ready for this kind of news. However, we do have a great group of family and friends to lean on for support. So, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us search or just being there for us. Your thoughts and prayers have kept our family going through the long four years. There are so many people to thank starting with our family and to those of you we now consider family, to people who have followed Eric’s story and have never even met him or us. We are so thankful to be able to bring him home. We will have a memorial as soon as it’s safe for everyone to come together to celebrate this very special man.

Love you ALL,

Eric’s Family

We know our family is not alone. There are many first responders who are dealing with some type of PTSD and don’t know how to handle it. If you or someone you know is feeling desperate, alone or hopeless, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It’s a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.”
In Loving Memory Of Paramedic Eric Pracht

I really appreciate the family’s candor and honesty here. Rest In Peace, Eric. I am so sorry you were in so much pain.

Wow. What an amazing family, to be so candid and open about their pain in hopes of saving others. Bravo. Truly sorry for this immense loss.

 

[Andreee]

Wow. What an amazing family, to be so candid and open about their pain in hopes of saving others. Bravo. Truly sorry for this immense loss.

So sorry to hear about this sad outcome, and thanks go to the family for sharing this information, which may help others in a similar situation that Eric Pracht was in.