Keith R. Reinhard

• Missing Since 08/07/1988
• Missing From Silver Plume, Colorado
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 09/10/1938 (86)
• Age 49 years old
• Height and Weight 6'2, 210 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A t-shirt, a dark red and black plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans and old sneakers.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Reinhard was last seen in Silver Plume, Colorado on August 7, 1988. After he closed his antique shop for the day, he decided to climb to the summit of Pendleton Mountain.

It was about a six-hour hike over strenuous terrain with no path, loose rock and heavy vegetation. He had climbed the mountain before, but never alone and never as far as the top.

Reinhard left on his hike at 4:30 p.m. He wasn't carrying any supplies with him, except perhaps a single can of soda. His friends thought his plan to reach the summit and return home that same day was unrealistic, as Reinhard was afraid of heights, wasn't in peak physical condition, and was hungover from a party the night before.

He didn't return home, and the next day the search began. An extensive week-long search, involving trained dogs, helicopters and over 100 people, turned up no sign of him. One the searchers crashed his plane during the efforts and was killed.

Reinhard had taken a three-month leave of absence from his job at the Daily Herald newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, where he was a sportswriter, and gone to Colorado to climb mountains and write a novel. He left his wife and two children behind in Illinois.

Reinhard bought a computer to write on and opened an antique shop in Silver Plume during his leave of absence. He hoped to possibly relocate to the area permanently if his shop was a success, and he remained optimistic although the business wasn't making much money.

In 1987, Reinhard's antique shop had been a bookstore run by Tom Young. Young and his dog disappeared on September 7, 1987. Ten months later, their bodies were found in the mountains outside of town. Both Young and the dog had been shot in the head. A revolver was found at the scene, and Young's death was ruled a suicide.

Reinhard was interested in Young's disappearance and death, and he decided to base his novel on the case. There was speculation that Reinhard and Young's cases were related and both men were in fact murdered, but authorities could find no evidence to support this.

Police read Reinhard's fiction writings and developed the film in both his cameras looking for clues to his disappearance, but they found nothing of interest. Reinhard's family never believed he left of his own accord; they stated he was happy with his life and kept in regular touch with his loved ones. His wife had been planning to visit him later in August and he was looking forward to her arrival.

Although many rumors have circulated about Reinhard's disappearance, no evidence has surfaced to support any of them and his case remains unsolved.