LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A hiker made a disgruntling discovery near a trail on Green Mountain Thursday morning when they stumbled upon human remains. Lakewood police have since identified the remains to be those of a paramedic who has been missing since July 2016, KDVR reports.
According to KDVR, Lakewood police were called to Green Mountain — near West Alameda Parkway and West Utah Avenue — on Thursday morning after a hiker came across human bones and immediately called 911. LPD said in a written statement that a handgun was recovered at the scene but that it is still too early to determine the cause of death.
The missing Colorado paramedic’s name was Eric Pracht. His family said he disappeared for a walk without his shoes and keys on July 22, 2016. This is the first news his family has gotten of Pracht since his disappearance nearly four years ago.
“He told his fiancee ‘I just need to take a walk around the complex. I’ll be back in five minutes, and that was the last we saw of him,” his father Randy Pracht said in a statement from 2016, according to KDVR.
Pracht was a paramedic with the South Park Ambulance District. They wrote on their Facebook page:
“It is with great sadness that we report the death of Paramedic Eric Pracht. Yesterday his remains were found near the south base of Green Mountain in Lakewood. Eric has been missing since July 22, 2016. Eric was an outstanding person and a gifted Paramedic. He dedicated his life to serving others. He will not be forgotten.
Posted with permission of his family, truly amazing people.”
