In late 1973, 25-year-old Margaret Renee Armbrust and her husband, Anthony Armbrust, relocated from California to an apartment in Golden, Colorado. Not long after their move, the couple vanished. The last known communication from them were letters sent to their church members in San Diego, asking them to retrieve their belongings and their puppy. Margaret was last seen on January 1, 1975.
Concerned church members went to the couple's apartment to find it empty, though the puppy was discovered in good health. Anthony Armbrust was reportedly terminally ill at the time of their disappearance.
The case took a significant turn on February 11, 1974, when two teenagers hiking on Guanella Pass in Park County, Colorado, discovered a body partially frozen in the snow and ice at the bottom of a steep, rocky area. For decades, the identity of this individual remained unknown, and he was buried as a John Doe in Fairplay. It wasn't until October 2020 that advances in forensic science provided a breakthrough. The remains were exhumed in 2017 to collect DNA, and through the efforts of the DNA Doe Project and the use of genetic genealogy, the man was identified as Anthony Armbrust. Investigators believe that due to his failing health, he and Margaret may have come to the Colorado mountains with the intention of ending their lives. It is theorized that Anthony may have been climbing the rocks to find a higher place to jump when he slipped and fell.
Despite the identification of her husband's remains, Margaret Armbrust is still missing. Her disappearance remains an active investigation with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The circumstances surrounding the couple's move to Colorado and their subsequent disappearance point to a deeply troubling situation. While the discovery and identification of Anthony's remains have answered some questions, the fate and whereabouts of Margaret continue to be a mystery. The overview of the case suggests a tragic story of a couple facing a terminal illness who traveled to a new state, only for one to be found deceased and the other to vanish without a trace, leaving behind unanswered questions and a lingering sense of loss for those who knew them.Last Seen: Jan 1, 1975
