The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has positively identified the body recovered from the White River in November as the Rangely man that had been missing since September. 66-year-old Peter Ruffner had been missing since Friday, September 29th, and search and rescue efforts were ongoing but his disappearance remained a mystery. Then on November 29th, Rio Blanco County Sheriff Mazzola was patrolling in the Rangely area and went to the Texas Beach area of the White River as part of the search for Ruffner. He was met by a Rangely resident who had just found a body in the river while hunting for ducks along the shore. Rangely Fire and the Rio Blanco County Coroner were called in to help retrieve the body from the river. It was believed from the beginning that the body could be that of Peter Ruffner. The public announcement of the positive identification, however, wasn’t made until December 12th. The investigation is still waiting on forensic test results to help aid in determining the cause of death.
