STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 26B4003235
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Trooper Kipp Colburn
STATION: VSP Rutland Barracks
CONTACT#: 802-773-9101
DATE/TIME: About 4
p.m. Saturday, April 25, 2026
INCIDENT LOCATION: Green Mountain National Forrest, Mt.
Tabor, VT
INCIDENT TYPE: Discovery of human remains
VICTIM: Under investigation
AGE:
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE:
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
The Vermont State Police is investigating the discovery of
human remains in the Green Mountain National Forest. The identity of the
deceased person and the circumstances surrounding the death are unknown at this
time.
The investigation began at about 4 p.m. April 25, 2026, when
hikers traveling through the forest in the town of Mt. Tabor located a pair of
aged and partly buried hiking boots in a boggy area. What appeared to be human
foot bones were found inside the boots. The hikers contacted the Vermont State
Police, who responded and conducted a search of the area without locating
anything further. The remains were secured and transported to the Chief Medical
Examiner’s Office in Burlington for analysis, which confirmed the remains were
human.
On Monday, May 4, 2026, a coordinated search of the area was
conducted involving members from VSP’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Search
and Rescue Team and Crime Scene Search Team, along with North Country Search
Dogs and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement personnel. Searchers located additional
human remains and a nearby site with outdoor gear and personal items, all of
which were partly or mostly covered in several layers of leaf fall, forest
growth and soil.
Analysis of the remains and associated items is continuing. The
state police asks that anyone with information that could assist investigators
call the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No additional details are available at this time. VSP will
provide updates as the investigation continues.
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