DENVER -- Across the U.S. there are thousands of open missing person cases. While Colorado has its fair share, there are three recent cases that stand out because of how they happened and because authorities have not been able to find any of the persons missing.
David Cook, missing in Pitkin County
David Cook, 49, from Albuquerque, N.M., has been missing since last week after not returning from a climb in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area.
Nearly 50 search and rescue crews from multiple agencies participated Wednesday “in a significant ground search” but to no avail.
Cook was climbing by himself with a plan to climb Pyramid Peak on Monday, Sept. 19, and then climb Maroon and North Maroon Peak on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Later that night, a caller concerned for his safety, called the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office to report him as overdue.
Mountain Rescue Aspen crews began their search and found a receipt inside Cook's car that showed he had arrived at the Maroon Bells entrance station on Monday around 11 a.m. Search and rescue crews decided not to search immediately as it "seemed plausible that Mr. Cook's climbing plans were delayed by 12-24 hours, due to his late arrival at the Maroon Bells."
"At this point, Incident Commander Grant Jahnke is meeting with Mountain Rescue Aspen rescue leaders to determine what areas of the wilderness will be searched in the future,” said deputy Alex Burchetta with the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators continue to follow all leads in order to find Cook.
No other information that could help identify Cook has been released by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
If you know anything about Cook's whereabouts, please contact the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office at (970) 920-5300.
Update: After the publishing of this article, Pitkin County authorities said they have suspended the search for Cook. If new leads are presented, the search for Cook may begin again.
Scott Burke, missing in Mesa County
Craig resident Scott Burke, 43, has not been seen since last Friday after he did not come home from a camping trip in Mesa County.
Burke was looking to go camping in either the North Desert or the Bookcliff area west of De Beque. Burke could be anywhere in the desert from 16 Road to De Beque, according to a deputy with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
Several agencies are assisting in the search, including Civil Air Patrol and the Bureau of Land Management.
“We are also hoping someone camping this weekend may remember seeing his car and help us narrow the search area,” said Megan Terlecky, with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies told Denver7 Burke may be driving in a white and blue Bronco (pictured below).
Burke is 5-feet-11 and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.
If you know anything about his whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Mesa County Sheriff's Office at (970) 244-3500.
Lashaya Stine, missing in Aurora
Lashaya Stine, 16, has been missing for over 75 days – and despite pleas by both her mother and police, no new leads regarding her disappearance have turned up.
Stine was last seen on Friday, July 15, at 2:30 a.m. in the area of East Montview Boulevard and Peoria Street in northwest Aurora.
A video released by the Aurora Police Department 16 days after she went missing shows Stine on the morning of her disappearance.
In the video, Stine can be seen near East Montview Boulevard and Peoria Street walking by herself during the early morning hours.
Her mother, Sabrina Jones, told Denver7 at the time she thought her daughter would eventually return home, as the teen left a phone charger and her wallet at home and didn’t pack any clothes.
Jones said her daughter is an honor student and was supposed to start an internship on Aug. 1.
"She had an internship at University Hospital for the next five days, she wouldn't have missed it for the world. She was so excited,” Jones said.
On Aug. 24, the APD released a video again asking for the public’s help in finding Stine.
Stine is 5-feet-6 tall, weighs 150 pounds, has long black hair, brown eyes and a quarter -size round scar on her chest.
If you see Stine or have information about her current whereabouts, you are asked to call 911 immediately. If you have recently seen her please call Detective Sergeant Chris Poppe at (303) 739-6130 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.
There is a reward of up to $4,000 being offered by Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and the Aurora Police Reward Fund.
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