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Mount Evans Deaths: 'We May Never Know What Caused This'

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The bodies of a Minnesota father and son were finally found this week near a Mount Evans-area campground, but many questions about what happened still remain and authorities admit some may never be answered.

After months of searching, the bodies of Damian McManus, 51 and Evan McManus, 18, were found only about a mile-and-a-half from the Echo Lake Campground. The two had disappeared on April 6.

"People will speculate. They will run through scenarios in the back of their head, but really honestly we can never really know what caused this," said Howard Paul of the Alpine Rescue Team.

Damian and Evan were from Saint Lous Park, Minn. They were in Colorado on a father-son spring break trip, while evan's twin sister went to Mexico with their mother.

Katherine McManus posted the following Facebook message on behalf of her and her daughter, thanking all those who helped in the search.

"We will be forever grateful and will never, ever forget all that each of you has done and, more importantly, we will never forget how you made us feel … cared for, loved and lifted up."

Paul said a lack of information made the search harder. It wasn't known what trail the father and son took, although cell phone data helped pinpoint a specific area.

Messages of hope and inspiration now hang from a tree not far from the place where the father and son were found dead.

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