Colorado rescue crews race to find missing hiker, dog near Aspen trail
The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said Jennifer Hearn is believed to be hiking with her 3-year-old Irish setter, Tawny
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The search is on for a 75-year-old woman and her Irish setter who went missing while hiking in the mountains of Colorado on Sunday.
The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said that at about 8:40 p.m., a citizen waved down a deputy to say a family member, Jennifer Hearn, had not returned from her hike on Triangle Peak.
Triangle Peak Trail is in the Snowmass Canyon area of the Roaring Fork Valley near Aspen.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The family did not know what Hearn’s exact plans were, but told the deputy her vehicle was parked at the Triangle Peak trailhead, which she hikes three to four times a week.
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A team of Colorado rescuers are searching for Jennifer Hearn, who was reported missing when she did not return from her hike on Triangle Peak. She is believed to be hiking with her 3-year-old Irish setter, Tawny. (Pitkin County Sheriff's Office)
The sheriff’s office described the nearly five-mile trail as steep with limited foot traffic because of its difficult and rocky terrain. The trail also has multiple intersecting trails near its highest peak.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Sunday night, a team of Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA) volunteers went to the trailhead of Triangle Peak to search for Hearn, though the search was called off just after 2:30 a.m.
The search continued on Monday morning, with 30 MRA volunteers, a helicopter, multi-mission aircraft from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention, and a dog and handler team from Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States (SARDUS).
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A team of Colorado rescuers are searching for Jennifer Hearn, who was reported missing when she did not return from her hike on Triangle Peak. She is believed to be hiking with her 3-year-old Irish setter, Tawny. (Pitkin County Sheriff's Office)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office seeking the status of the search on Tuesday but did not hear back.
The sheriff’s office said Hearn is 5-foot-10 and 125 pounds, with shoulder-length gray hair and brown eyes.
She is believed to be wearing a green t-shirt or long-sleeve shirt and jean shorts.
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Triangle Peak is in the Snowmass Canyon area of the Roaring Fork Valley near Aspen, Colo. (Google Maps)
Authorities also said Hearn may have been hiking with her 3-year-old Irish setter, Tawny, who may be skittish. If found, the sheriff’s office urges the public to approach Tawny with caution.
"We understand and are immensely thankful for the public's desire to aid in the search efforts. We are using specialized aircraft with equipment that can detect activity with heat sensors," Pitkin County Undersheriff Alex Burchetta said. "That equipment could register false positives that are not the person we are searching for if we have unauthorized personnel in our search area. Our focus is to search for and find Jennifer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We want to avoid someone else possibly being injured and distracting our efforts from that goal."
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Officials ask the public to avoid the Triangle Peak area while the search is underway.