Missing 23-year-old Coloradan found dead in area of Ute Canyon Overlook

The Grand Junction Police issued an update on Saturday about a person who was reported missing.

At approximately, 4 p.m., Rangers of the Colorado National Monument were notified on Thursday about a vehicle being found in the area of Ute Canyon Overlook. 

Mesa County Search and Rescue responded to the crash site and found a person dead inside the vehicle that matched the description of 23-year-old James Moen, who was reported missing on Jan. 9 around 4 a.m. and last seen entering the entrance of the Colorado National Monument, according to Grand Junction police. 

Grand Junction police say the Mesa County Coroner's Office is assisting the investigation and will release the cause of death. 

The Grand Junction Police Department, Mesa County Sheriff's Office, Mesa County Search and Rescue and Rangers with the Colorado National Monument all assisted in the search. 

The Mesa County Coroner's Office on Sunday said preliminary findings indicate Moen died from injuries sustained in a car crash after the car went off the edge of the monument.

Ute Canyon National Monument is about 260 miles west of Denver.