Jeffery Lee "Jeff" Peterson was a man whose skeletal remains were found in the White River National Forest, Colorado, in 2016. A group of hikers discovered his skull on July 10 of that year in a place called Sky Chutes. The rest of his skeleton and belongings were discovered on August 3 of the same year.
He was identified by the DNA Doe Project on September 12, 2022.
Case[]
Peterson had a difficult childhood, which left him deeply troubled. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a major in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. For many years, he was on the executive leadership team at Management Systems Laboratories at Virginia Tech and was a pioneer in the development of E-commerce software. He loved the mountains of Colorado and would drive his RV to Summit County, where he spent time hiking and skiing.
Peterson lost a lot of money during the 2008 financial crisis, which frustrated and disappointed him. Subsequently, he told his family that he was moving to Belize, a country in Central America. Peterson sold all his belongings and never contacted his family after May 2012. The area of Summit County where he died was on the back side of the Breckenridge Ski Area, which looked across to the Copper Mountain Ski Area.
Characteristics[]
- Strawberry blond hair.
- Possibly a smoker.
- Damage to the skull consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head from a Glock .45 handgun discovered next to the body.
Clothing and accessories[]
- Glock .45 handgun with a destroyed serial number.
- Three clips of ammunition for a handgun in a ziplock bag.
- Two plastic water bottles dated February 7, 2012.
- High-tech BlackDiamond headlamp.
- Foot traction devices.
- Purple/gray Fila backpack.
- Blue Life is Good baseball cap.
- One Leatherman tool.
- Wooden-handled hatchet.
- ADark green, gray, or black Rockport hiking shoe, size 11.
- Black rubber Stabilizers brand yak-tracks.
- Watch.
- Gray Garmin GPS case containing a rock.
- Can of bear deterrent spray.
- Gold wire-rimmed reading glasses.
Gallery[]
