Grand Junction Man Found Dead on Hiking Trail near Glade Park

A Grand Junction man was recently found dead on a hiking trail near Glade Park. Conrad Earnest was reported missing the day before in the Glade Park area.

Conrad Earnest was last seen on July 19, according to KKCO. He was going to the Glade Park area to allegedly take some pictures of the NEOWISE comet. Conrad was reported missing on Thursday, July 23.

On Thursday, July 23, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office and the Mesa County Search were notified to help find a missing person in the Glade Park area, according to the Mesa County's Sheriff's Office. Deputies searched late into the night to find Conrad and again the next morning, with some help from his friends.

Conrad's car was found in the Miracle Rock campground around 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning. Unfortunately, his body was found not too long after that on the Miracle Rock hiking trail.

According to the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, nothing suspicious is currently suspected and his death is being investigated as an unattended death. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office will release a formal media release once the autopsy is complete.

This is heartbreaking news to hear how Conrad was found. He was a photographer here in Western Colorado who loved to travel and loved all things nutrition and exercise and was a very friendly person, according to a statement posted on his Facebook. Part of the statement on Conrad Earnest's Facebook page says:

Conrad shared his appreciation for the beauty of nature and the mystery of the cosmos through his stunning photography generously posted on the internet. He was clearly spiritually connected to a sense of wonder.'

Our thoughts go out to Conrad's family and friends.