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Colorado man found dead in Grand Canyon, marking seventh death in park since end of July

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Colorado man found dead in Grand Canyon, marking seventh death in park since end of July


A Colorado man was found dead Sunday in the Grand Canyon while on a group river trip, marking the seventh fatality in the national park since July 31. 

Grand Canyon National Park officials received a call early Sunday morning reporting a fatality at Poncho’s Kitchen, a part of the Canyon near the 137th mile of the Colorado River, according to a news release. 

The deceased was identified as Patrick Horton, a 59-year-old from Salida, Colorado who was visiting the Canyon on a “non-commercial” river trip, park service officials said in the release.

Patrick Horton, a 59-year-old from Salida, Colorado, was found dead in the Grand Canyon Sunday. NPS Photo/E. Whittaker

His body was found by other members of his party on the 10th day of their trip. 

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The Grand Canyon has had a turbulent summer with six deaths in August alone, ranging from a woman being swept away by a flash flood to an illegal BASE jump gone wrong. Three people died in the first week of August alone. 

The park recorded 11 deaths in 2023, 12 in 2022, a staggering 23 in 2021 and 13 in 2020. The average usually sticks to somewhere between 10 to 15 deaths for the entire year, park officials said — with 2021 being an outlier. 

Horton’s death marks the 15th fatality of 2024, nearing the high end of the annual average. 


Entrance sign for Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on a brick wall
Horton’s death marks the 15th fatality of 2024, nearing the high end of the annual average.  Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

From 2014 to 2019, 103 people died in Grand Canyon National Park, according to the NPS mortality dashboard. Of those fatalities, 49 were a result of medical emergencies or issues, including 37 deaths that involved no physical activity.

Across all national parks in the US, an average of 358 deaths were reported each year during this period, putting the Grand Canyon National Park on the lower end of the spectrum. 

The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s office are still investigating Horton’s death, NPS said. It is not clear how he died or when. 

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Colorado

Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer

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Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer


The Colorado Division of Securities is pursuing legal action against a man whom it claims deceived investors and used the ownership of federally supported low-income housing projects to line his own pockets. 

Securities Commissioner Tung Chan announced its civil court filings against Michael Dale Graham, 68, on Nov. 12. 

Chan’s office filed civil fraud charges against Graham, and also asked for a temporary restraining order and freezing of Graham’s assets and his companies’. A Denver district court judge immediately granted both. Since then, two court dates to review the those orders have canceled; a third is scheduled for mid-January.

Graham operates Sebastian Partners LLC, Sebastiane Partners LLC, and Gravitas Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC (“GQOZF”), all of which were controlled by Graham during his “elaborate real estate investment scheme,” as described by the securities office in a case document.

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The filing states Graham collected more than $1.1 million from eight investors to purchase three adjacent homes in Aurora. The Denver-based Gravitas fund and its investors purportedly qualified for the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program with the homes. Qualified Opportunity Zones were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2017. The zones encouraged growth in low-income communities by offering tax benefits to investors, namely reductions in capital gains taxes on developed properties.

A file photo of a suburban housing development in the Denver metro area. 

Paul Souders/WorldFoto & Getty Images


Graham formed Gravitas in early 2019 and purchased the three homes located in the 21000 block of E. 60th Avenue two years later. He quickly sold one of them with notifying investors, according to the case document. While managing the other two, Graham and Gravitas transferred the fund’s assets and never operated within QOZ guidelines to the benefit of its investors or the community, according to the state. 

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Gravitas also transferred the titles for the two properties to Graham privately. As their owner, Graham obtained undocumented loans from friends totaling almost $600,000. The two loans used the two properties as security. 

Gravitas investors were never informed of the two loans, according to the case document. Also, Gravitas never sent its investors year-end tax reports, the securities office alleges. 

Graham used the proceeds of the loans for personal use. No specific details were provided about those uses.

“Effectively, Graham used Gravitas as his personal piggy bank,” as stated in the case document, “claiming both funds and properties as his own. Graham never told investors about the risks associated with transferring title to himself. On September 1, 2023, he sent a letter to investors, stating that the properties ‘we own’ are doing well and generating growth due to record-breaking home appreciation. But Gravitas no longer owned the properties.

“Gravitas no longer had assets at all.” 

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Furthermore, the securities office said Graham failed to notify investors of recent court orders against him in Colorado and California. In total, Graham was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages related to previous real estate projects.

Graham’s most recent residence is in Reno, Nev., according to an online search of public records. He evidently has previously lived in Santa Monica, Calif., and Greenwood Village.

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Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday

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Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday


Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday – CBS Colorado

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Watch meteorologist Callie Zanandrie’s forecast.

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Colorado Springs police search for missing 20-year-old

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Colorado Springs police search for missing 20-year-old


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Police are searching for a missing at-risk adult.

They said 20-year-old Brandon Hugney was last seen Saturday night, around 7 p.m., at the Walmart on Platte avenue.

They shared a picture of Hugney, describing him as a 6′ man last seen wearing black-framed glasses with red trim, a grey fleece, blue pajama pants and black and white slippers.

Police said he likely isn’t properly dressed for the weather and was last seen heading west behind Walmart.

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If you know where he is or see him, call police at (719) 444-7000.



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