Teenage Friends Vanished on Hike in Colorado—Five Years Later, a Chilling Discovery is Unearthed

The Disappearance

On a bright August morning in 2012, two experienced teenage hikers, Iris Jansen and Quinn Walsh, set out for a three-day backpacking adventure deep in the Colorado backcountry. They promised their anxious parents they’d be safe—armed with gear, wilderness know-how, and a satellite messenger, the compromise between youthful independence and parental worry.

But when the girls failed to return on schedule, panic set in. Lena Petrovich, Iris’s mother, checked the satellite tracker: the last ping was from their first-night campsite. After that—nothing. No movement, no SOS, just eerie digital silence. The girls were officially missing.

Search and rescue teams fanned out across the rugged terrain. The only clue: a perfectly undisturbed campsite. Their tent was zipped, gear neatly packed, food untouched, and the satellite messenger blinking quietly on a stone. No sign of a struggle, no footprints, no clues. It was as if Iris and Quinn had simply vanished into the wild.

The Investigation Stalls

The girls’ parents clung to hope. Maybe they’d gone on a short hike to photograph rare alpine wildflowers—a theory supported by a marked guidebook found at their camp. But days turned into weeks, and the search yielded nothing. No dropped water bottle, no scrap of clothing, no trace. The case went cold, haunting the families and becoming local legend.

A Hunter’s Gruesome Discovery

Five years later, in September 2017, hunter Haskell Bower and his dog Duke were tracking elk in a remote part of the forest, miles from any trail or the original search grid. Duke began frantically digging near an ancient, overturned tree. Haskell investigated—and unearthed a human hipbone, followed by more bones scattered in the soil.

But what truly shocked him was a rusted, primitive arrowhead embedded in a vertebra—a weapon from another era. Haskell marked the GPS coordinates, hiked to a nearby cabin for a satellite phone, and called authorities.

The Case Reopens

Forensic teams descended on the scene. The remains were incomplete, but dental records confirmed the identity: Quinn Walsh. She hadn’t died in an accident or from the elements. She’d been murdered—shot in the back with an archaic arrow and buried in a shallow grave.

But Iris was nowhere to be found. Had she been killed and buried elsewhere? Or had she somehow escaped?

Tracing the Murder Weapon

Detectives analyzed the arrowhead. It was a frontier-style, iron arrow—likely made by a survivalist or historical reenactor. Suspicion fell on a reclusive anti-government survivalist group living nearby, known for primitive hunting techniques and hostility toward outsiders.

A 2010 raid on their compound had confiscated dozens of similar arrows. The group’s leader, Orson Halloway, became a prime suspect. But when confronted, Halloway claimed the arrows had been stolen by authorities and never returned—a wild accusation, but one that forced detectives to audit the evidence locker.

They discovered that the confiscated arrows had indeed vanished from storage just weeks before Iris and Quinn disappeared. The log showed they’d been checked out for an “educational display” by a park ranger named Kendrick Dillard, who’d also participated in the original search for the missing girls.

The Predator Among Them

Dillard was a respected ranger, known for his expertise and professionalism. But surveillance revealed he made secret trips into remote park areas, far from any trail. Reviewing security footage from the girls’ preparatory hike, detectives spotted Dillard observing them at the visitor center days before their disappearance.

Confronted with the evidence, Dillard cracked, requesting a lawyer. A search of his secluded property revealed a hidden, soundproofed cellar beneath his workshop—complete with restraints, stains, and signs of prolonged human captivity. Cadaver dogs led investigators to a shallow grave in the woods behind the property. The remains belonged to Iris Jansen.

Forensic analysis revealed a horrifying truth: Iris had been held captive for nearly four years after Quinn’s murder, dying only months before her remains were found.

Justice and Aftermath

Kendrick Dillard was charged with kidnapping, murder, and prolonged abuse. The evidence was overwhelming: the missing arrows, the cellar, the grave, and his proximity to the girls before their disappearance. He was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

For the families, the resolution brought only heartbreak. The knowledge that Iris had been alive for years—suffering in darkness while the world moved on—was an agony that would never fade.

The case of Iris Jansen and Quinn Walsh is a chilling reminder: sometimes, the greatest dangers are hidden in plain sight, lurking behind the faces we trust most. The Colorado wilderness, beautiful and wild, had concealed a predator for years—and only by chance did the truth finally come to light.