Authorities end search for missing man near Redstone

REDSTONE – An extensive search for a missing Carbondale man ended Saturday after four days of searching challenging terrain near Redstone, the small town south of Carbondale on Highway 133.

The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office investigation into William Worley’s disappearance will continue; foul play is not suspected, the sheriff’s office said.

Worley, 61, (originally identified as a Redstone resident) was reported missing Friday, July 30. A search began Wednesday, Aug. 4 after his car was found at the East Creek trailhead near Redstone the prior evening.

A 50-square-mile search area had been narrowed down to about 2 square miles of steep and densely vegetated terrain, according to authorities. Various backountry trails and the higher elevations of East Creek, Gift Creek, Big Kline Creek, Little Kline Creek, Avalanche Creek, Hawk Creek, Lilly Lake, Hawk Peak and numerous lesser peaks have all be searched on foot, by plane and by helicopter, according to the sheriff’s office. Search dogs were also used.

Photographs of Worley have been disseminated to local and neighboring law enforcement agencies, and he has been entered into Colorado and national law enforcement databases as a missing person, in the event he simply left the area. Fliers with Worley’s photo have also been posted in the area.

Given the extreme topography of the search area, and the thoroughness of the search, the sheriff’s office decided to end the search at the close of Saturday’s efforts, the sheriff’s office said.