Body of Missing NJ Man, Alphonse “Michael” Barbiere, Appears to Have Been Found in Breckenridge, CO
23 year old Alphonse “Michael” Barbiere went missing the morning of February 8, 2008 after a night out with his friends. A body was found encased in snow and ice in a field appears to be that of missing Michael Barbiere. Barbiere was reported to have been “highly intoxicated” when he left Cecilia’s Bar and walked into a blizzard.
Barbiere, a 23-year-old Wyckoff, N.J., resident who was on vacation with friends, has been missing since Feb. 8 after he left a Breckenridge, Colo., martini bar about 1:30 a.m. Police said the young Wall Street trader had consumed more than 20 drinks and was “highly intoxicated.”
The Rocky Mountain ski resort town, which sits at an altitude of 9,600 feet, reported 65 m.p.h. winds and another fresh foot of snow the night Barbiere went missing. (ABC News)
Body of man in Breckenridge may be missing New Jersey
After two hours of digging and cutting through ice officials removed the body of a man wearing clothes that matches the description of what Alphonse “Mike” Barbiere, 23, was wearing when he disappeared two months ago, Assistant Police Chief Greg Morrison said.
Prayers sadly answered for friends of missing man
Even though there has not been official word from the Coroner regarding the ID of the body found in Breckenridge, it appears from the family web site for Mike Barbiere, helpfindmike.com, that they are certain that the body recovered was his.
As most of you know by now, Michael was found on the morning of Saturday April 5. To think of him frozen and being lifted from a deep snow field is a painful image for me to enter into my tired mind. But, it is the solid evidence of his undeniable death that was needed to bring this exhausting search to an end.
Saturday was the heart wrenching day my family had to endure in order to begin rebuilding a life that will undoubtedly be transformed forever. I am not being just another proud parent here when I say Michael was a vibrant energy. To those who knew him well, he will be sorely missed.
UPDATE I: Coroner Says Missing Man Froze To Death, No Foul Play Found In Barbiere’s Death
An autopsy completed on a missing man found over the weekend in a field in Breckenridge showed no trauma and no evidence of foul play.
The results were made public by the Summit County Coroner’s Office Wednesday. The coroner said Alphonse “Michael” Barbiere died of hypothermia due to exposure.
This article was in todays news, but updated yesterday:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/aroundnj/Loved_ones_cope_with_missing_mans_apparent_death.html
Monday, Apr. 7, 2008 11:33 am
Body found in Breckenridge, Colo. appears to be that of missing Wyckoff man Alphonse “Mike” Barbiere
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Last updated: Sunday April 6, 2008, EDT 8:51 PM BY TOM DAVISSTAFF WRITER
Friends and family on Sunday awaited official word on the fate of a 23-year-old Wall Street trader from Wyckoff whose body appears to have been discovered in the snow in Breckenridge, Colo.
The body found encased in snow and ice in a field appears to be that of Alphonse “Mike” Barbiere, who disappeared two months ago after a night in the bars following a day on the slopes, police said.
A Web site set up by Barbiere’s friends, bringmikehome.com, spoke of his possible fate on its cover page, saying: “As most of you know by now, Michael was found on the morning of Saturday, April 5.
“Although it is difficult to realize the loss of someone we loved so much, it is comforting to know that Mike is in a better place and we will all someday be with him again,” according to the Web site.
Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson said she could not confirm the identity until after an autopsy scheduled for Tuesday.
Barbiere’s home on Weymouth Drive in Wyckoff was dark Sunday. Barbiere’s family has remained close to the investigation by staying in Colorado, friends and neighbors said.
Some wondered how Barbiere, a Bergen Catholic High School graduate, could have suffered such a fate after accomplishing so much at a young age.
“He’s pretty self-sufficient,” said friend Brian Schappert of Wyckoff, who said he was with Barbiere when he disappeared on Feb. 9. “He had been doing so well. It’s pretty upsetting.”
Patti Giampa, a friend and neighbor of the family, spoke with tears welling in her eyes Sunday as she recalled how strong Barbiere’s mother appeared over the past two months as the family awaited the news.
“I would go over and try to lift her spirits up, but she would try to make me laugh, and she’d end up lifting my spirits,” she said.
Barbiere, a graduate of New York University and a trader on Wall Street, was “highly intoxicated” when he left Cecilia’s Bar and walked into blizzard conditions, police said. Friends later reported him missing after he did not return that night. About 60 searchers and three dogs looked for him in a half-mile radius from the bar before police suspended the search Feb. 11. The bar is about a half-mile from the ice rink near where authorities found the body.
Barbiere’s brother told The Denver Post that he was surprised by where the body was found.
“This throws us for a loop,” Bob Barbiere, 46, told the Post. “We were searching for him on the opposite end of town because when he left Cecilia’s, he was headed north. He ended up south.”
Authorities resumed a search for Barbiere after a resident found a credit card Friday belonging to him along the side of a highway.
A search team found a body at about 9 a.m. Saturday in a nearby field. Police said they believe the body is Barbiere’s based on matching clothing.
By noon, authorities exhumed the body after hours of work to remove it from the ice.
This article contains material from The Associated Press. E-mail: davist@northjersey.com Friends and family on Sunday awaited official word on the fate of a 23-year-old Wall Street trader from Wyckoff whose body appears to have been discovered in the snow in Breckenridge, Colo.
The body found encased in snow and ice in a field appears to be that of Alphonse “Mike” Barbiere, who disappeared two months ago after a night in the bars following a day on the slopes, police said.
A Web site set up by Barbiere’s friends, bringmikehome.com, spoke of his possible fate on its cover page, saying: “As most of you know by now, Michael was found on the morning of Saturday, April 5.
“Although it is difficult to realize the loss of someone we loved so much, it is comforting to know that Mike is in a better place and we will all someday be with him again,” according to the Web site.
Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson said she could not confirm the identity until after an autopsy scheduled for Tuesday.
Barbiere’s home on Weymouth Drive in Wyckoff was dark Sunday. Barbiere’s family has remained close to the investigation by staying in Colorado, friends and neighbors said.
Some wondered how Barbiere, a Bergen Catholic High School graduate, could have suffered such a fate after accomplishing so much at a young age.
“He’s pretty self-sufficient,” said friend Brian Schappert of Wyckoff, who said he was with Barbiere when he disappeared on Feb. 9. “He had been doing so well. It’s pretty upsetting.”
Patti Giampa, a friend and neighbor of the family, spoke with tears welling in her eyes Sunday as she recalled how strong Barbiere’s mother appeared over the past two months as the family awaited the news.
“I would go over and try to lift her spirits up, but she would try to make me laugh, and she’d end up lifting my spirits,” she said.
Barbiere, a graduate of New York University and a trader on Wall Street, was “highly intoxicated” when he left Cecilia’s Bar and walked into blizzard conditions, police said. Friends later reported him missing after he did not return that night. About 60 searchers and three dogs looked for him in a half-mile radius from the bar before police suspended the search Feb. 11. The bar is about a half-mile from the ice rink near where authorities found the body.
Barbiere’s brother told The Denver Post that he was surprised by where the body was found.
“This throws us for a loop,” Bob Barbiere, 46, told the Post. “We were searching for him on the opposite end of town because when he left Cecilia’s, he was headed north. He ended up south.”
Authorities resumed a search for Barbiere after a resident found a credit card Friday belonging to him along the side of a highway.
A search team found a body at about 9 a.m. Saturday in a nearby field. Police said they believe the body is Barbiere’s based on matching clothing.
By noon, authorities exhumed the body after hours of work to remove it from the ice.
This article contains material from The Associated Press. E-mail: davist@northjersey.com
Comment by 2NJSons_Mom | April 7, 2008