A skull found near Frisco, Colorado, has been identified as the remains of Jack McAtee, a 27-year-old native of Webster Groves who went missing more than a year ago.
McAtee had been living in Colorado when, on September 18, 2014, his car plunged off a cliff. He survived, and was taken to the Summit County Medical Center in Breckenridge, Colorado. But he was never heard from since. Family members traveled from St. Louis to Colorado to search for him and pleaded for assistance online.
On Friday, they announced the sad news on a family-run website. A skull found not far from the medical center has been proven to be McAtee's.
We'll let the family's words speak for themselves:
So, our search has come to fruition. Our closure is at hand, albeit we acknowledge it will be a lifelong process. As our family gathered to hear the news I had received, our collective tears streamed down, and we let them flow as freely as they would, making of them a pillow for our hearts. There's nobody now who saw just what Jack saw, knows what he knew, remembers what he remembered, loves what he loved. A person, an-irreplaceable person, is gone. Our family, all of us, are in solidarity with those who sit beside us on humanity's mourning bench. However far be it from this family to wallow away in despair, bitterness, hopelessness. For we know beyond the shadow of doubt, that Jack is with his Father in heaven now, without a trace of mental illness, absent from all evil, exploring the mountain tops of heaven, eagerly anticipating our arrival.
McAtee had suffered from bipolar disorder, the family said.
A service will be held to commemorate his life at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27 at Windsor Crossing Community Church, 114 N Eatherton Road in Chesterfield. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to In Living Water, a Christian non-profit organization that works to provide access to clean water in Africa.
Here's the link to donate in McAtee's memory.
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