The investigation into the death of 49-year-old Longmont resident Matthew Barz, who was found Monday on McClure Pass, has shown that he died of trauma from an accidental fall.
Barz was found right off of the highway in an area that looked like a short-term campsite. According to the Pitkin County Sherriff's Office, he fell approximately 30 feet from a cliff near his campsite on Highway 133. Barz then returned to his campsite, with serious head trauma, and died there.
The Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received a call from a motorist at about 7 a.m. Monday morning with a report of an injured person near the top of the pass.
The pass was closed for several hours Monday for the protection of the scene and the investigators. The area bordered Pitkin County and Gunnison so it was first unclear which county’s sheriff’s office would handle the investigation, however it is now being led by Pitkin County.
