Source: Bodies Found In Colo. Were Minn. Father & Son

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/WCCO) — Authorities have told the family of the Minnesota hikers who have been missing in Colorado since April that they believe their remains have been found.

A source told WCCO on Thursday that the bodies of 51-year-old Damian McManus and his son, 18-year-old Evan McManus, were believed found near Mount Evans. The two were from St. Louis Park, Minn.

Officials said hikers found their bodies Thursday morning. Crews were sent in to recover them.

As of yet, there has not been an official confirmation from a coroner.

Four Minneapolis-area firefighters were searching Thursday for the pair. Authorities didn't say whether the firefighters were the ones who discovered the bodies.

The father and son were last heard from on April 2, when one of them told a friend they were going to scale a peak. They were reported missing on April 6, when the search began.

Their car was found at the Echo Lake Campground near the base of the mountain but it's not known which trail they took, said Bill Barwick, a spokesman for the Alpine Rescue Team. Heavy snow fell after they disappeared, erasing any footprints left before the storm, he said.

The initial search for the two lasted for four days and crews later returned to the area for smaller searches. Before the Minnesota searchers arrived, searchers spent about 5,000 combined hours looking for the men, Barwick said.

Mount Evans is 14,250 feet high and has one of the highest paved roads in North America. The road closes at the end of summer, when weather conditions can quickly become treacherous.

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