In the quiet, rural landscape of southern Colorado, a family continues to hold out hope for the return of William 'Scott' Hurtado, who vanished under puzzling circumstances. Known to his loved ones as Scott or Scotty, the 33-year-old was last seen in the small town of Blanca, in Costilla County, on January 26, 2017. Scott, a man described by his family as exceptionally friendly and always ready to lend a hand to someone in need, had plans to travel to California for a work opportunity. However, he never reached his destination, and the days that followed his last sighting turned into a prolonged and agonizing period of silence for those who knew and loved him. His disappearance marked the beginning of a painful journey for his family, left with unanswered questions and a void that deepens with each passing year.
The investigation into Scott's disappearance was initiated by the Costilla County Sheriff's Office, with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation later providing assistance. At the time he went missing, Scott was a man in his early thirties, standing at 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing between 190 and 200 pounds. He has brown, thinning hair with a slightly receding hairline, and kind brown eyes. A small but distinct scar rests between his eyebrows, and he typically wore a mustache and a beard or goatee. When he was last seen, it is believed he was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, likely with a flat-billed baseball cap, sunglasses, and either tennis shoes or boots. His family also noted that he sometimes wore a watch. These details, pieced together from the memories of those who last saw him, paint a picture of an ordinary day that took an inexplicable turn.
The years since Scott Hurtado was last seen have been marked by a frustrating lack of closure. The case has been entered into national missing persons databases, and his DNA has been made available for comparison, a standard but somber step in such investigations. In the months and years following his disappearance, reports surfaced about unidentified human remains being found in the region, causing moments of dread and anticipation for his family and the community. However, as of late 2018, authorities had not established any official connection between these findings and Scott's case. The overview of this case is one of sudden and unexplained absence. A man with plans for the future, described as a caring individual by his family, was there one day and gone the next, leaving behind a trail of uncertainty that has yet to be resolved. The lack of concrete leads or information regarding his whereabouts has left his loved ones in a state of limbo, forever waiting for an answer to the question of what happened to William 'Scott' Hurtado.
Last Seen: Jan 26, 2017
