Overview
- Search teams recovered the bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, in a basin on West Apostle Mountain around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday after the pair failed to return from a planned trip that began Oct. 23.
- A helicopter crew first spotted the hikers’ tent near Lake Ann on Oct. 27 and ground teams found sleeping bags, a stove and clothing inside with no snow beneath the tent and no visible footprints in the fresh snow.
- Rescuers said a severe storm dropped one to two feet of snow on Ice Mountain with drifting to three or four feet in places and about eight inches at the Mt. Huron trailhead, which hampered searches and may have obscured tracks.
- Forensic checks showed neither phone had been used in the prior 48 hours and officials said cell service in the area is nearly nonexistent, while investigators do not suspect foul play and have ordered autopsies.
- About 50 to 60 search‑and‑rescue volunteers from multiple counties used helicopters, drones and search dogs and the college offered condolences and counseling support as authorities complete a coroner‑led investigation and review the pair’s route choices and equipment.