The Mesa County Coroner’s Department determined that hypothermia was the cause of death for Jesse Knights, and that the manner of the 19 year old’s death was accidental.

Knights was one of two Craig residents lost in the Grand Mesa area over the weekend.

An interview between the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department and Terry Landoll, the 17-year-old survivor, determined that both boys made it through the storm Saturday night. Early Sunday morning was when the two were split up. Knights told Landoll that he was going to leave the campsight momentarily and would be back shortly. According to Mesa County Sheriff’s Department, information specialist, Janet Prell, due to the very heavy fog, Knights never found his way back to the campsite.

“The two started calling to each other with their voices,” said Prell.

Landoll made a couple of short trips away from the campsite in search of his friend, but since he was unfamiliar with the area, he was concerned about going too far.

Landoll spent the rest of Sunday at the campsite hoping for Knights’ return until Monday morning when he started to hike out on his own in the wrong direction.

According to Prell, Knights didn’t have much gear with him when he left the camp site, but articles of clothing were found in the path that Knights trailed.

“He was headed in a pretty straight line,” said Prell. “It looked like he was following a ditch that connected Bull Creek Reservoir number 1 and Bull Creek Reservoir number 5.

According to Moffat County Undersheriff Jerry Hoberg, the most critical thing that people need to do when they get turned around in the woods is to stay put.

“If you’ve told people the general area your in, eventually someone will find you,” said Hoberg. “If people carry a survival kit, sit down, make a fire and stay warm, they are much better off.”

Hoberg said it is critical to stay warm because once hypothermia starts setting in the brain doesn’t function properly, and a person starts to make poor decisions, like shedding their gear.

“Even if a person leaves on a nice sunny day, it is critical that they have a survival kit with matches, fire starter and compass because the weather here can change in an instant,” said Hoberg.