LOCATED DECEASED: Benskin, Walter – Ripple Creek Pass, CO – 10/25/06

Walter Benskin, age 53, of Santa Fe, Texas, was last seen near Ripple Creek Pass, Colorado on Wednesday, October 25, 2006, at approx 6:30am. Benskin was hunting with his son-in-law when they separated and the son-in-law went back to their camp for a jacket. Later that day, a snowstorm dropped about 2 feet of snow in the area. Benskin has not been seen since. He was last seen wearing grey wool pants, a black jack with an orange vest, and green cap.

11/02/2006 – Dickinson-based Texas EquuSearch has joined the hunt in Colorado for missing hunter Walter Eugene Benskin of Santa Fe. The team began aerial and ground searches Tuesday afternoon after local officials had called off the operation.

11/03/2006 – Walter Benskin disappeared last week during a hunting trip in Ripple Creek Pass in Colorado. A snow storm has dumped two feet of snow in the area. Benskin’s family, along with Texas Equusearch volunteers, are searching for him in the rough terrain which is 10,000 feet above sea level. Benskin has survival training, but his loved ones fear time is running out.

11/06/2006 – The Memorial for Walter Benskin will be held at the Central Baptist Church, 5310 Ave R, Galveston, TX, on Friday, November 10, 2006, beginning at 10am.

6/15/2007 With the snow melting quickly, we are now ready to return to Colorado to find Walter and bring him home. We will need volunteers that can travel to Colorado, and be able to withstand altitudes of 11,000 ft. plus. You must be in excellent health to make this search.

6/29/2007 Our search is going well for missing Walter Benskin. Several tracking dogs are following the same trail and hitting on the same locations giving us hope that we are getting closer to finding him.

Please continue to pray for Walter’s family and all of the searches working so hard to bring him home.

7/16/2007 Family members and friends found what they believe to be the remains of Walter Benskin. His clothes were placed nearby and it appears that he may have gone to sleep and never woke up. TES wishes to extend our deepest sympathy to his loving wife, Cheryl, and his entire family and huge circle of friends. This family has demonstrated an enormous amount of love and determination to finding their lost loved one. Along with exemplifying those virtues, they held together strong and continued to come to the help of others. We hope and pray that they may now receive the peace and closure they so deserve. May Walter rest in peace. God bless this family.

We send heartfelt thank you and condolences to Joe Benskin and Wayne Heckler, and special thanks to Brenda & Gary Dunham and Curtis Ramsay for their long term efforts in the search.