Man found at bottom of Red Mountain Pass ravine identified as Boylan Sr.

MONTROSE — Longtime Montrose resident and former firefighter Thomas Boylan Sr. is dead, the victim of a crash, his family and the community learned late Thursday.

Boylan, 82, had been missing since Oct. 20, when a neighbor saw him drive away from his home on South Pythian at 10:30 p.m. A passing delivery truck driver spotted his SUV Thursday at the bottom of a ravine on Red Mountain Pass.

Fears for his safety were immediate, because of a heart condition and because he did not drive at night, or like to leave home. A frantic search ensued, for both Boylan and his distinctive, 1990 Suburban.

The Suburban was located Thursday morning, the Colorado State Patrol said. The CSP says Boylan failed to negotiate a sharp curve at mile marker 90 on Highway 550 and plunged over the side, rolling nearly 400 feet.

His vehicle was mostly concealed from sight, Trooper Darel Reed said.

"It was barely visible. You had to be looking really hard. It's just hard to see," he said.

"The light was just right for the truck driver who spotted it to see it," Montrose Police Chief Tom Chinn said. "Probably 10 minutes later, you would not have been able to see it and in a few weeks, with the snow, we would not have found this vehicle or Mr. Boylan until probably June.

"We're fortunate to have had someone that actually saw it, so we can bring some closure to the family and to law enforcement. It's unbelievable that someone even saw it."

The pass was closed Thursday while investigators processed the scene.

Boylan's body was removed by Ouray Mountain Rescue, Ouray County Sheriff Dominic "Junior" Mattivi said.

It was not clear Friday how long Boylan had been dead between the time of his disappearance and the discovery of his vehicle. Ouray County coroners could not be reached.

Chinn said his department, the CSP and Colorado Bureau of Investigation are investigating.

"There are still some things that need to be looked at. Right now, it looks like a traffic accident," he said.

Jeanne Boylan said the spot where her father went over the side was ironically the same spot where her parents had their honeymoon pictures taken 62 years ago.

She thanked law enforcement and Montrose and surrounding communities for their support.

"Though the wait was excruciating and the hunt was hard, I am grateful beyond words to have been so deeply and profoundly reminded of what an exceptional town we grew up in," said Jeanne Boylan in an e-mail (see related).

From Mexico, the renowned forensic investigator pulled out all stops to find her dad. She even succeeded in having his story featured on the America's Most Wanted Web site.

"Thank you Montrose, for being what you've always been, a town with a heart, a soul and a place that my father and my family will always will be so very proud to call 'home,'" she wrote.