Adam Gilbertson (29) was found dead near a river one month after he went missing
Filed Under:
Undetermined
Published: Jan 21, 2018 @ 3:51 AM
Adam Gilbertson (29)
Date: Dec 15, 2017
Cause of Death: Undetermined
Location: Denver, CO
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A body found near the South Platte River Saturday afternoon has been identified as that of Adam Gilbertson, a Minnesota native who disappeared after a night out in Denver almost a month ago.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed the man's identity on Sunday in a press release sent to Denver7.
Officers with the Denver Police Department were conducting a search and a subsequent death investigation near Kalamath and Virginia Saturday at around 3:30 p.m. after a member of a search party looking for Gilbertson informed them they had found a body near the river.
Investigators could only say the body had been there "for some time."
As of Sunday morning, the cause and manner of death are pending further investigation.
Gilbertson's family was along the riverbank on Sunday, at the same location where he was found.
"On the other side of the river, the first time we came down here, we searched here," his sister, Amy Linnell, told Denver7's Amanda del Castillo.
In reaction to the news of her brother's death, Linnell said, "We always knew that this was a possibility." However, Linnell said having that knowledge didn't make the loss of her younger brother any easier.
The family explained it was a volunteer searcher who ultimately found Gilbertson's body in the Platte River.
The volunteer told Denver7 he separated from Saturday's search group and went off on his own, when he made the discovery.
"We wanted to kind of come and see for ourselves where he was and what not," Saesen said.
The scene on Sunday was now the site of a growing memorial.
"He'd be really happy, he'd be really happy," Linnell said.
Crime Scene investigators were still on-hand processing new evidence as of early Sunday afternoon.
Family organizes search party for missing relative
Gilbertson's family met with more than 100 volunteers on Saturday morning to search for their relative who disappeared without a trace in mid-December.
Gilbertson, a 29-year-old registered nurse, never showed up for work on the morning of December 15. His employers called his sister, Amy, who was his emergency contact, and she immediately knew something was wrong.
Surveillance video detailed Gilbertson's whereabouts on the night of Thursday, December 14 through early Friday morning.
The Minnesota native, living in Denver, was initially out with friends. He continued the night alone and was seen leaving Charlie's Nightclub on East Colfax just before midnight.
At 12:53 a.m. that day, Gilbertson was captured on video as he left Syntax Physic Opera bar on South Broadway.
Newly discovered surveillance footage put the 29-year-old north of West Alaska Place at 1:05 a.m., between South Cherokee and South Bannock Streets. According to his family, he was seen heading northwest.
Saturday's search efforts put the group of volunteers and family members at the old Kmart location in Denver, off West Alameda Avenue.
Related Article(s): https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/crime/body-found-near-south-platte-river-identified-as-adam-gilbertson-man-missing-since-dec-15
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