By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-26 16:04:03 | Updated at 2025-04-06 18:40:35
1 week ago
Two lost Colorado teenagers were guided to safety by their parents who used a drone to talk them through their hike.
The teens got lost while hiking at Roxborough State Park and called 911 around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to Douglas County Search and Rescue (DCSAR).
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Roxborough State Park rangers, and DCSAR drone, foot and K9 teams worked together to locate the teens in the frigid park.
'We had an idea of where the lost children were. They actually did an excellent job. They stayed put after calling 911, which makes our job a lot easier,' DCSAR drone lead Darren Keralla told KDCR.
'Got dark quick, we had weather rolling in and it was getting pretty windy so they hunkered down.'
Rescue teams used drone technology to navigate them out of the wilderness, and one of the teen's father was able to talk to them through the drone speaker while they walked.
'From their standpoint, here they are lost in the wilderness, you know, you could hear dad coming over the speaker with some positive words of encouragement. I think it really uplifted their spirits,' said Keralla.
'We can't receive audio but we typically ask them if you're okay, give me a thumbs up, and they'll respond with a thumbs up. We can interpret a lot from their motions and what they're communicating back to us physically.'
Two Colorado teenagers got lost while hiking at Roxborough State Park and called 911 around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday
One of the teen's father was able to talk to them through the drone speaker while and guide them to safety
Photos shared by DCSAR showed rescuers located the teens who took shelter under trees as the temperatures began to drop.
'Some of our challenges were the high winds. Knowing a general area of where our subjects were helped, but once we were able to get the drone on top of them, verify their location using lat/long, we can really streamline the rescue coordination from there,' said Keralla.
Rescuers were able to shine a light from the drone to illuminate their path while the teen's father guided them to safety.
Keralla commended the teens and their family for their cooperation and preparedness in a dire situation.
'I have to credit our missing kids because they had a plan in place with their parents where if they were not back by a certain time, the parents would call for help and that is how this all played out,' she said.
'Roxborough is hilly, rocky and it's bigger I'd say than most state parks that we're within range of.'
Elsewhere in Colorado, a climber lost his life in a heartbreaking accident while attempting to make the world a little cleaner - by cleaning up trash that had been left behind by another adventurer.
Marc Horan, 46, described by his devastated partner Sarah Zubrin as a 'wonderful human being,' died on Sunday in Boulder Canyon after allegedly slipping while trying to discard a soda can left by another climber.
Rescue teams used drone technology to navigate them out of the wilderness
Photos shared by DCSAR showed rescuers located the teens who took shelter under trees as the temperatures began to drop
Zubrin, who had ventured out with Horan, her seven-year-old daughter, and some friends, recounted the horrifying moment when what was meant to be a family-friendly climbing adventure turned into a tragedy.
She told local station FOX31 that they were briefly separated when Horan scrambled up some rocks to retrieve the trash.
When he failed to return, she went looking for him-only to find his body after he allegedly plummeted 20 feet from the rocky terrain.
'I could tell he had fallen and was deceased before I got to him, he did not have a pulse,' Zubrin told the outlet. 'I've never experienced something so difficult in my life.'
