In the late summer of 2014, 57-year-old Dorothy 'Lori' Jenkins was enjoying a camping trip with her boyfriend in the scenic yet rugged Burnt Mountain area, located northeast of Thomasville, Colorado. On the afternoon of August 17th, their peaceful retreat took a distressing turn. According to her boyfriend, Lori decided to go for a walk around 2 p.m. while he stayed behind to take a nap at their campsite. When he awoke, Lori was nowhere to be found.
After searching for her himself and waiting, he made the decision to drive back to their home in Aspen, seemingly under the impression that she might eventually make her own way there. However, she never arrived. The following day, with no sign of Lori, her boyfriend officially reported her missing to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, sparking an urgent and comprehensive search effort.
The response to Lori's disappearance was swift and extensive. Multiple agencies, including the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, Vail Mountain Rescue Group, Aspen Search and Rescue, and the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, collaborated in a wide-ranging search of the area surrounding the campsite. The search utilized ground crews, air support, and K9 units from the Garfield County Sheriff's Office in an attempt to uncover any trace of the missing woman. At the time she was last seen, Lori was wearing a maroon tank top or t-shirt, beige or light-colored shorts, and what were described as 'cheap Wal-Mart sneakers'. Crucially, she did not have any hiking or camping equipment with her, leaving her ill-prepared for an extended period in the wilderness. Despite the thorough and multi-faceted search efforts, authorities were unable to locate any clues that might point to her whereabouts. After days of intensive searching with no new leads, the active search was suspended, though the investigation into her disappearance remained open.
Years passed without any significant developments in the case, leaving Lori's loved ones with unanswered questions. Then, in the summer of 2019, a glimmer of a potential breakthrough emerged when two teenage hikers discovered decomposed human remains in the Fryingpan Valley. This location was within a ten-mile radius of where Lori had last been seen five years prior. The discovery immediately brought her case to the forefront for investigators. The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office and the coroner's office began the difficult task of identifying the remains and determining the cause of death. While the proximity of the discovery was noted, authorities were careful to state that it was too early to definitively connect the remains to Lori Jenkins or to determine if foul play was involved. The case of Dorothy 'Lori' Jenkins is a poignant reminder of how quickly a person can vanish, even in a familiar setting, and the enduring pain and uncertainty that follows for those left behind. The initial search was exhaustive, yet yielded no answers, and the subsequent discovery of human remains years later offered a potential, though unconfirmed, resolution to a long and painful mystery.Last Seen: Aug 17, 2014
