Two snowmobilers found alive, third dead

BRECKENRIDGE - Two of three snowmobilers lost in the mountains were found in good condition Tuesday night, but their companion died Tuesday morning.

Summit County Undersheriff J. Derek Woodman says Craig Morris of Florida and Murry Melloni of Littleton were found by a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter that had come to repair a search helicopter. The repair helicopter was flying back to Eagle when the crew on board spotted Morris and Melloni around a campfire waving their arms.

The helicopter landed and airlifted the two to Eagle Regional Airport and they were taken to the hospital in Glenwood Springs by an ambulance. Woodman says both are not in bad shape and are being treated for mild hypothermia.

Melloni, Morris and John McKibben of Kremmling went on a snowmobiling trip in the Spring Creek Ranch area on Sunday morning but failed to return by evening. Crews believed they were on Elliott Ridge, but they were found about two miles from the ridge and four miles outside the search perimeter.

Morris and Melloni told rescuers that McKibben had died Tuesday morning.

The snowmobilers said that on Monday morning Morris set out by himself to get help, leaving Melloni and McKibben behind. After McKibben died, Morris backtracked and met up with Melloni at the campsite on Tuesday.

Early in the day Morris had started sending text messages out to his family on his cell phone. He then got into contact with rescue crews that way. When he met up with Melloni, they both began sending out text messages.

Melloni had supplies to make a fire, so the two men were able to start a fire at the campsite, according to Woodman.

Authorities do not know the location of McKibben's body and did not plan on making a night time recovery effort. They planned to resume searching for his body on Wednesday morning, but will have to evaluate weather conditions before they begin.

Woodman had said earlier in the day he believed rescuers were within 100 yards of Morris and Melloni as they searched, but said Tuesday night he was wrong. He had told Morris and Melloni through text messages that they would not give up on searching for them Tuesday night until they were found.

"We were prepared to search through the night, we were just in the wrong area," said Woodman.

Woodman says he felt the text messages helped save the men's lives.

"Well, you know I think it did. It continued to elevate the hope of all involved in the rescue knowing full well we had at a minimum two people alive. Obviously, we were prepared to go through the night regardless of weather conditions. We knew we were close, well, we thought we were close," he said.