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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Bad weather and a lack of leads are hampering the search for a Colorado Springs woman who disappeared after the death of her son, a top Air Force Academy cadet, a Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesman said Friday.
Senior cadet Alexandre Quiros died in his dorm room at the nearby academy on April 2. The cause of death hasn't been released, but academy says they don't suspect foul play. Police have said his mother, Ksenia Quiros, may be suicidal.
Fire department and police crews and volunteers searched overnight Wednesday and all day Thursday for Ksenia Quiros, who was last seen at home Wednesday, Capt. Steve Oswald told AP. Her truck was found near Stratton Open Space, a southwest Colorado Springs area that has been a focus of the search. A fire rescue team also searched reservoirs using sonar, Oswald said.
Oswald said volunteers searching on Friday were struggling in heavy snow. He called on the public to report any sightings of the 5-foot-2, 110-pound Quiros, who is in her mid-40s and has blue eyes.
The Gazette, a Colorado Springs newspaper, reported (http://tinyurl.com/l98a8wm) Friday that academy volunteers joined the search.
The 21-year-old Quiros majored in astronautical engineering at the academy, where he had been named to the Dean's list and Commandant's List multiple times for academic and military performance. He was expected to graduate in May and attend a graduate program at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Colorado Springs television station KKTV (http://tinyurl.com/k2f9mkm) received a statement from Ksenia Quiros praising support he has received from the Colorado Springs police and fire departments and community and the Air Force.
"'The tragedy of the past few weeks has left me drained and my sole focus is on finding my wife and making sure our son is taken care of," Jose Quiros wrote.
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Information from The Gazette, gazette.com and KKTV, www.kktv.com
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