Solo Thru-Hiker Vanished in Colorado — Years Later an SD Card Is Found Hidden in Her Shoe

1. The Vanishing

Piper Crumbede, 31, was not the type to simply disappear. She was a Denver police officer, known for her meticulous habits and her love of the wild. In September 2015, she set out alone on a multi-day trek through the rugged expanse of Rocky Mountain National Park—a journey she’d planned as a final reset before stepping into a demanding new command role. She texted her mother as she began her ascent: “Starting up. No service ahead. See you in a few days.” After that, the digital trail went cold.

When Piper missed her first day of work, alarm bells rang. Her car was found at the trailhead, locked and undisturbed. Search teams combed the mountains, helicopters swept the valleys, and every inch of her planned route was scoured. But the Rockies offered nothing except silence. For two years, Piper’s fate was a mystery—her name another entry in the long ledger of vanished hikers.

2. The First Clue

In July 2017, Ellen Wilder, a field biologist, stumbled upon the remnants of a campsite deep in a tangle of dead lodgepole pines, miles from any trail. The tent was shredded, the gear scattered and decayed. Among the debris: a pair of worn hiking shoes, caked with mud. Inside one shoe, hidden beneath the insole, was a black SD memory card—corroded, but intact.

The gear was quickly identified as Piper’s. The SD card, a deliberate act of evidence preservation, electrified investigators. For the first time in two years, the case had a pulse.

3. The Silent Message

The SD card was rushed to a forensic lab. Technicians worked around the clock, fighting the ravages of time and the elements. The card was badly degraded, the data sectors corrupted. No images or videos could be recovered, but the team managed to salvage fragments of metadata—a cluster of GPS coordinates and a timestamp, created days after Piper disappeared.

The coordinates pointed to a remote cave system, miles from where her gear was found. The implication was clear: Piper had left a breadcrumb trail, hoping someone would find it.

4. Into the Cave

Search teams, armed with technical climbing gear and tactical expertise, launched a new expedition. The cave entrance was nearly invisible, a narrow fissure in the rock. Inside, the silence was absolute. Near the entrance, they found an aluminum water bottle—one Piper’s parents immediately recognized.

But there was no sign of Piper herself. No remains, no camera, no definitive answers. The mystery deepened: How did her gear end up miles away? Why had she hidden the SD card? What had happened in that cave?

5. The False Lead

Desperate for answers, investigators revisited every potential witness. At the High Alpine Lodge, a remote outpost near the park, the owner recalled seeing a woman resembling Piper—having lunch with a man, seemingly relaxed and comfortable. It was the first hint that Piper may not have been alone. But days later, the witness retracted her statement, claiming she’d been mistaken. The investigation stalled again.

6. The Breakthrough

Months passed. The case went cold. Then, during a routine review, an investigator noticed a link in Piper’s police training records: she’d taken a wilderness tactical course taught by local guides. One name stood out—Von Go, a charismatic outdoorsman with a hidden criminal past and a history of leading clients into the park’s most remote areas.

Go was tracked and arrested during a guided tour, caught off guard in his element. Under pressure, he confessed.

7. The Truth Unveiled

Go’s story was chilling. He met Piper at the lodge. They connected, hiked together, and spent the night at a hidden cave. The next day, Go revealed his criminal history. Piper, a police officer, reacted with alarm. An argument erupted. Go shoved her—she fell, struck her head, and lost consciousness. Panicked, Go fled, leaving her behind.

Investigators believe Piper regained consciousness, severely injured, and tried to hike out. She documented her situation on the SD card, then hid it in her shoe—her final act of defiance and hope. She made it several miles before succumbing to her injuries, her gear scattering in the forest.

Search teams, guided by Go’s confession, found Piper’s remains beneath a rock overhang. The forensic analysis confirmed the story—a fatal head injury consistent with the fall.

8. Aftermath

Von Go pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. For Piper’s family, the discovery brought devastating closure—a daughter lost to the mountains, but her courage and resourcefulness preserved in her final desperate message.

The wilderness had kept its secrets for years, but Piper’s training, her will to survive, and her determination to leave evidence behind ensured that her story would be told. The SD card, hidden in a muddy shoe, became her last voice—a silent cry for justice that echoed through the Rockies and finally reached home.

Sometimes, the wild keeps its secrets. But even in the deepest silence, the truth can find a way out.