Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Body found identified as missing hiker

Searching for Ron Kirk

Sam Morris

Some of an estimated 150 volunteers assemble in Calico Basin to search for missing outdoorsman and athlete Ron Kirk Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012.

Searching for Ron Kirk

Some of an estimated 150 volunteers assemble in Calico Basin to search for missing outdoorsman and athlete Ron Kirk Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Launch slideshow »
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Ronald Kirk

A body found Saturday in Red Rock National Conservation Area has been identified as 46-year-old Ronald Kirk, who went missing mid-January while hiking, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office.

Kirk, a UNLV history student and former Marine, sent text messages to friends Jan. 16 letting them know he would be hiking the Calico Basin.

When he hadn't returned several days later, friends and family organized a search and found his red Jeep sitting in a sandy parking lot.

The coroner confirmed Kirk's identity through dental records provided by his family and with the help of Dr. David Ord from UNLV's School of Dental Medicine, officials said.

Kirk's cause and manner of death have not been determined.

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