LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — Crews recovered Monday the body of a man missing after mudslides and flood waters swept through Poudre Canyon last week. One other adult, a woman, remains missing after three bodies have been recovered.
A woman’s body was recovered Wednesday and a man’s body was pulled from the Poudre River Sunday. Monday’s recovery took place in the Poudre River near mile marker 92.
The Larimer County Coroner’s Office identified Monday the woman whose body was recovered from the river the day after the flood. They also released the identity of the man whose body was recovered Sunday.
The woman was identified as Patricia Brown, 59, of Madison, Wisconsin. The man was identified as David Brown, 61, of San Antonio, Texas. The identity of the man whose body was pulled from the river Monday has not been released. The name of the missing woman is not known.
Bret Calvert, a friend of David Brown for over 25 years, called him the kindest man that anyone has met.
"He was just all about lifting others up. I had never seen him cross. He was the most even-tempered person I have ever known," Calvert said. "He would always make you smile. He was always genuinely interested in what you are saying and just trying to make those around him better."
Calvert said David Brown was in a cabin with his wife, Diana Brown, his sister and his father. Calvert said the loss is devastating.
Hilary Keahey, another friend, said they went to the cabin every July as a family. She said she saw a photo of a van in the destruction and recognized it as the vehicle they purchased from her in 2018. She immediately knew.
"I want people to remember them as beautiful, loving, generous people," Keahey said. 'They had such good souls and hearts. And I think that those of us who are still here feel a little empty, and heaven is a better place certainly now."
The flooding started in Poudre Canyon around 6 p.m. Tuesday above Rustic. A mudslide happened near Black Hollow Road that sent debris down the canyon, destroying at least six structures and damaging one home and the road, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. All structures were on Black Hollow Road.
The three found dead and the missing woman were all are associated with the same residence on Black Hollow Road, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said the owners of all the destroyed or damaged structures had been notified.
The Poudre River will stay closed from the fish hatchery to Rustic while the removal of the mudslide debris continues.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife continue to monitor the impacts on the river from the mudslide, including documenting the fish kill that occurred. CPW senior aquatic biologist Jeff Spohn said the agency would not be commenting on impacts to the fish population until standardized data was collected.
