The body of missing 23-year-old Lucas Macaj, of Colorado Springs, has been recovered on Mills Glacier, which is located near the base of the east mountain face of Longs Peak.

Crews had been searching for Macaj since Monday after he was reported overdue on Sunday night. He had failed to return from a day trip up the mountain, with last known contact with Macaj being a text sent to a friend in which he reported he was at the summit of the 14,259-foot peak at about 1 p.m.

Macaj was found near the base of Lamb’s Slide on Mills Glacier on Thursday, with initial evidence pointing to him taking a significant fall.

On the day Macaj went missing, snowy and icy conditions already present on the mountain were further complicated by afternoon storms. The search for Macaj was hindered by periodic whiteout conditions and snowfall throughout the week.

After an on-scene investigation, his body was taken to a landing zone in Rocky Mountain National Park via helicopter, then transported to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Macaj served as a member of the Space Force and was stationed at Schriever Space Force Base. News of Macaj’s death has been met with an outpour of grieving and support from the public.

Condolences go out to those impacted by Macaj’s tragic death.

Longs Peak is known as one of the most difficult and dangerous fourteen-thousand-foot mountains to summit in Colorado, with difficulty rated as a solid class three. A significant portion of the upper route requires scrambling through rocky terrain with route-finding, exposure, and rockfall all posing hazards. It’s also worth noting that due to the technical nature of the last portion of the route, a significant amount of time is spent above treeline and without much protection from the elements.