EAGLE — Ryan Daniels’ body was found in the Eagle River, where authorities feared it would be.
Ryan — full name Ryan Benjamin Kirby-Daniels — went missing May 22. He was last seen alive at about 7:30 a.m. that day.
His body was spotted the afternoon of July 26, in the Eagle River, about a half-mile west of Squaw Creek Road between Edwards and Wolcott.
Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis confirmed Wednesday morning that the body found Friday was Daniels.
The cause and manner of death are still under investigation, Bettis said.
With rivers and streams running at historic levels all spring, Ryan’s body was not spotted until water levels dropped following spring runoff.
Special to the Daily
Family heard nothing for weeks
Between May 22 and last Friday, parents Aimee and Stephen Daniels heard nothing. They filed a missing persons report in early June with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s investigators had not heard anything either, even after they upped the ante with a cash reward.
Daniels, 19, had wanted to join the Air Force for most of his young life, and did this spring. A month or so later he was medically discharged because of hearing loss.
His Air Force dream dashed, he was disappointed and depressed.
On the morning of May 22 he left his family’s EagleVail home on foot. He landed with some friends in Edwards, where he spent several days.
He left his friends and set up a campsite in Edwards.
All his camping gear and other items were still at the campsite when his friends discovered it, but he wasn’t anywhere around.