Found Deceased CO - Ian O'Brien 28, from AZ, Epilepsy, reached Hesperus Mtn summit, experienced in survival, San Juan Mtns, 24 Jun 2023

[PommyMommy]

JUL 9, 2023

Searching for Ian O’Brien

LA PLATA MOUNTAINS – Weeks ago, as Eli Weitzman was packing his bike for a trip from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to Fernie, British Columbia, his mind meandered to his friend, Ian O’Brien. “Ian would do t...

www.durangoherald.com

[...]

The headquarters for the search sits at Lucy Halls Park, in Echo Basin, a field surrounded by wildflowers at the toe of Hesperus Peak, where O’Brien and his partner, Beth Henshaw, went to camp with their friends, Ashley and Mike Higgs.

Dedicated “easy-up” tent shelters cover a stash of food, a camp kitchen and an incident command center replete with radios, satellite communication devices and colorful maps documenting the 12,000 acres that volunteers have searched.

The terrain in the La Plata Mountains is a vast, unforgiving and mysterious wilderness. Searchers have covered more than 12,000 acres of ground in the search for missing runner Ian O’Brien. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

[...]

Montezuma County Search and Rescue suspended the official search for O’Brien on June 28, but the volunteer effort only swelled since then.

About 25 people gathered on Thursday, day 12 of the search, each trying to balance their own emotions.

“Everybody is grieving and motivated, hopeful and hopeless,” Henshaw said.

[...]

“Their love for him is pretty infectious,” Jeremy Moore said. “It’s weird, you feel pretty connected to him.”

Ian O’Brien lived in Southwest Colorado for six years before he moved to Page, Arizona, last month. He went missing in the La Plata Mountains on June 24 while on a camping trip with his partner and two friends. (Courtesy of Kelsey O'Brien Rodriguez)

[...]

 

[Howl]

This was posted on find-ian.com today, Sunday, July 9. Ian went missing on Sunday, two weeks ago:

"ANNOUNCEMENT - Thank you to the HUNDREDS of volunteer searchers who have come out. Thank you. After today we are closing the search to the public. Stay tuned for more info."​

 

[AmandaSkis]

Whoa. What does that mean??

 

[azure]

Whoa. What does that mean??

My first thought is that a searcher got lost or hurt. I could definitely be wrong, though.

 

[Howl]

Whoa. What does that mean??

My guess is that Sunday marked two weeks of intensive searching with no sign of Ian, with an acceptance that he has not survived.

The find-ian.com page provides a link for people to share stories, photos, something meaningful about Ian.

 

[AmandaSkis]

I know nothing about epilepsy drugs. If someone has seizures on a regular basis, could they carry their epilepsy drug with them so that they don’t miss important doses? For example, his girlfriend talked about how he would have missed his 8 PM dose. But could he not have carried at least one dose with him?

 

[azure]

I know nothing about epilepsy drugs. If someone has seizures on a regular basis, could they carry their epilepsy drug with them so that they don’t miss important doses? For example, his girlfriend talked about how he would have missed his 8 PM dose. But could he not have carried at least one dose with him?

I've been wondering the same. If you have a lifesaving medication that weighs almost nothing, wouldn't you carry a pill or two everywhere with you?

 

[Vail]

I know nothing about epilepsy drugs. If someone has seizures on a regular basis, could they carry their epilepsy drug with them so that they don’t miss important doses? For example, his girlfriend talked about how he would have missed his 8 PM dose. But could he not have carried at least one dose with him?

yeah if it is a situation where you could die if you didn't take it, I'd personally have one on a keychain or in my pack etc. - but we don't want to assume. regardless, by now he's definitely in trouble if he's still out there alive somewhere.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 11, 2023

An ‘impossible decision’: Public search concludes for missing hiker

More than two weeks after ultra runner Ian O’Brien went missing in the La Plata Mountains, volunteers concluded the public search for the 28-year old on Sunday afternoon. O’Brien set out to scout a pa...

www.durangoherald.com

[...]

O’Brien set out to scout a path up Hesperus Mountain from the west side of the range around 2:30 p.m. June 24. He reached the summit of the peak around 6 p.m., but has not been heard from nor seen since. O’Brien had epilepsy and was carrying his medication, although his friends and family suspect that a seizure likely left the experienced survivalist disoriented or incapacitated.

[...]

After Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin suspended search efforts on June 28, volunteers initiated an immense unofficial search led by O’Brien’s partner, Beth Henshaw, his friends Mike and Ashley Higgs and his family.

[...]

Between 25 and 80 volunteers, many of whom did not know O’Brien or were connected to him only tangentially, met daily and collectively combed over 12,000 acres of wilderness in the vicinity of Hesperus Mountain. The incident command center, situated at Lucy Halls park near the base of Hesperus Mountain, was equipped with solar power, Starlink internet, satellite and radio communication devices and had incident commanders planning how best to efficiently deploy teams of searchers.

[...]

On Saturday, O’Brien’s parents and sisters returned home to the East Coast, leaving the decision of when to halt the search up to Henshaw. Kelsey O’Brien Rodriguez, O’Brien’s older sisters, said it was a “combination of grief and logic” that led to an “impossible decision.”

[...]

A small team of about 10 close friends is likely to continue searching after several days of rest, but Henshaw said the community-organized search has concluded.

[...]

Throughout the search, volunteers were equipped with rubber chickens – an item Ian O’Brien always had with him in the outdoors. “I don’t think I will ever not have a rubber chicken with me for the rest of my life,” said O’Brien’s sister, Kelsey O’Brien Rodriguez. (Courtesy of Kelsey O'Brien Rodriguez)

[...]

 

[slowpoke]

“O’Brien had epilepsy and was carrying his medication, although his friends and family suspect that a seizure likely left the experienced survivalist disoriented or incapacitated.”

An ‘impossible decision’: Public search concludes for missing hiker

More than two weeks after ultra runner Ian O’Brien went missing in the La Plata Mountains, volunteers concluded the public search for the 28-year old on Sunday afternoon. O’Brien set out to scout a pa...

www.durangoherald.com

Well, PommyMommy’s link answers the question of if he had carried his meds with him, which his gf stated he was to take at 8:00. It seems imo a pretty ‘heavy duty’ (excuse my poor description) case of epilepsy if he would have a seizure 30 minutes after missing a dose.

I myself have epilepsy but feel very fortunate as mine seems very infrequent (as in, decades apart) and seemingly not dependent on such exacting times for taking my daily medication. So, I am not one to be able to answer a lot of questions regarding the condition even though I have it.

But, yes, upon coming out of the seizure, one would feel confused for a bit. And I was never aware of what happened, only relying on what my husband told me! My muscles felt a little sore afterwards, I recall. For me, it was more scary for others than myself, since I have no memory of the seizure events!

Ian seems like a much loved and fun-loving young man. I hope against hope that with his expertise in the outdoors he can somehow survive this. But as time goes on…it’s harder to keep the faith.

 

[noctilucent]

Well, PommyMommy’s link answers the question of if he had carried his meds with him, which his gf stated he was to take at 8:00. It seems imo a pretty ‘heavy duty’ (excuse my poor description) case of epilepsy if he would have a seizure 30 minutes after missing a dose.

(RSBM)

Epilepsy runs in my family. I'm not an expert but have some experience. It is possible to have breakthrough seizures even if the seizures have been controlled by meds and the meds have been taken on time.

Also, some seizure meds have a longer half-life and don't have to be taken at very precise times, but some are more finicky. He had the medication with him so that's a moot point, just something I was thinking about when I read this thread.

The postictal state can be very disorienting. I care for someone with epilepsy and they will be sleepy/spacey for a couple of hours after a seizure. (And they have no memory of anything happening, like slowpoke mentioned.) They also carry emergency meds in case of a seizure that lasts longer than X minutes, which they cannot administer themselves.

Unrelated, I haven't seen a rubber chicken in a long time, that's hilarious. Ian seems like a goofy guy who'd be a lot of fun to hike with.

 

[PommyMommy]

Still missing. No new information.

JUL 17, 2023

Search called off for missing hiker near Durango

The search began after he was reported missing at the end of June.

www.nbc11news.com

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 10, 2023

Into the woods - Durango Telegraph

www.durangotelegraph.com

[...]

Early on, hikers reported seeing someone matching O’Brien’s description in La Plata Canyon, east of Hesperus Mountain, shifting some search efforts away from the western slopes of the mountains. The report turned out to be a false alarm, and the search was redirected accordingly.

On June 28, the Montezuma County sheriff suspended the official search, saying his team – and their leads – were exhausted. O’Brien’s friends, family and an army of volunteers refused to give up. Finally, on July 11, they shut their operation down, too.

Hundreds of hours were spent scouring the area using all the technology available. And yet the only clue they found was a set of a footprints in Owen Basin below the peak, discovered the morning after O’Brien went missing. That’s it. No cell phone or even a signal, no pieces of clothing, no scent, absolutely nothing to suggest that O’Brien hadn’t simply vanished into the night after summiting.

[...]

 

[Howl]

What a sweet article. The La Platas are my eastern horizon these next few months. I'll be thinking about Owen every time I see them.

 

[GraceG]

His body has just been found in the river in a remote location. Accidental drowning. My heart breaks on this one - his smile was so infectious and he had such a zest for living. Body of missing hiker Ian O’Brien found My condolences to his loved ones and my thanks to all the people who searched to bring him home.

 

[AmandaSkis]

While I’m so sad about this news, I’m glad that his loved ones know where he is.

 

[charminglane]

And the rocks may melt and the seas may burn
If I should not return

Fare Thee Well, O’Brien.

 

[Howl]

I'm local and missed this.
Condolences to all who cherished him.
Rest in peace, sweet man.