News

Vail Health Nurse Helps Find Remains of Missing Hiker

Emily Brown, a nurse in Vail Health's Emergency Department, Transition to Practice Coordinator and Vail Mountain Rescue Group's chief of staff, recently led a team of female rescuers to Mount of the Holy Cross in search of the remains of Michelle Vanek, who vanished nearly 19 years ago.

According to a Vail Daily article, “Vanek, a 35-year-old mother of four, went missing on September 24, 2005, while on a hike to Mount of the Holy Cross—Eagle County’s tallest peak and lone 14er. Vanek was hiking the mountain with a friend, Eric Sawyer. The two separated, with Sawyer heading to the summit. Before heading to the summit, Sawyer told Vanek which route she should follow back down. She was never seen again.”

In October 2022, a local man and his son found a boot that was later forensically identified as belonging to the missing hiker. According to a press release from Vail Mountain Rescue Group, “Several Vail Mountain Rescue teams, including human remains detection canines, returned to the area for additional searches, both on foot and via helicopter, in the fall of 2023. No clues were found at that time.” Then, Vail Mountain Rescue Group Board President Scott Beebe brought the case to Brown, insisting that Vanek “didn’t want to be found by men.” 

Brown took charge, contacted the other women in Vail Mountain Rescue Group and organized a female-led search team. They soon discovered what are believed to be Vanek’s ski poles, mittens, backpack, clothing, car keys, water bottle and other personal belongings. 

“I’m grateful for the team involved in this most recent rescue, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of all the searches that came before us,” said Brown. “There were a lot of people (around 800 actually) who poured their hearts and souls into those eight days following her disappearance back in 2005.” 

Brown described the alternative strategy. “We took a new approach, hiking the last part of her route and standing where she was last known to be seen,” she said. “I got chills multiple times that day, and I don’t get chills. It felt like her spirit was with us and she was finally ready to be found.” 

Of her work on Vail Mountain Rescue Group, Brown shared, “In the days following this mission, I kept just coming back to the ideas that answers matter, women rock, and the mountains don’t care, but we do.”