Rock musician Nathan James has announced that his father, Bill McGinley, was found dead after disappearing during a routine bike ride in Colorado. He was 72.
McGinley was reported missing after he failed to return from a Wednesday morning ride near Davidson Mesa, Harper Lake and Coyote Run Open Space in Louisville.
James shared the devastating outcome in an emotional video, describing his father as his best friend and thanking everyone who circulated information or helped search for him.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office said McGinley was found on a trail in the Coyote Run Open Space area. A cause and manner of death had not been released.
Nathan James Shares Devastating Update About His Father
James announced his father’s death on Friday, July 31, two days after making an urgent public appeal for help locating him. “He was my best friend. I love him,” the 36-year-old independent metal artist said in his emotional video.
James described the period between learning that his father was missing and receiving confirmation of his death as an overwhelming emotional experience unlike anything he had previously endured.
He thanked the people who shared his posts, searched the surrounding area and sent messages of support to his family. James also said he would need time away to process the loss before urging viewers to express their appreciation for the people closest to them.
“My dad went home to heaven,” he wrote in the caption accompanying the update. Page Six reported James’ announcement, while People published additional details from his original appeals and the authorities’ response.
Bill McGinley Disappeared During a Familiar Bike Ride
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McGinley was last seen at approximately 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, heading toward the Harper Lake and Coyote Run Open Space trails. James described the outing as a normal bike ride and said his father had been traveling around the 36th Street bike path, Davidson Mesa and Harper Lake before he was expected to return to his home near Waneka Lake in Lafayette.
McGinley was riding a white Specialized bicycle and wearing a white helmet, blue cycling jersey, black cycling bottoms and light-colored shoes. After he failed to return, the Louisville Police Department began investigating and officers searched the area on foot. James posted photographs of his father, the bicycle and the clothing he had been wearing.
He asked anyone who had walked, cycled or driven through the area to review what they had seen that morning. The musician explained that he normally spoke with his father two or three times a day and immediately knew something was wrong when he could not reach him. His Instagram appeal was widely circulated while police, relatives and members of the community continued searching.
Authorities Found McGinley at Coyote Run Open Space
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office said McGinley was found dead on a bike trail in the Coyote Run Open Space area on Thursday, July 30. The location is part of Louisville’s network of public trails and open-space properties near the area where McGinley had been expected to ride.
The Louisville Police Department later confirmed that it was no longer requesting the public’s assistance in locating him. Police said the investigation remained active. The coroner’s office had not publicly announced a cause or manner of death at the time of the family’s statement. No official finding has established what happened during McGinley’s ride.
Bill McGinley Dedicated His Career to Literacy Education
McGinley was a professor emeritus in Literacy Studies and Humanities Education at the University of Colorado Boulder’s School of Education. His work focused on literature, literacy, teacher education and the ways reading and storytelling can strengthen schools, families and communities.
According to his official university profile, his teaching interests included language and literacy across the curriculum, teaching literature in secondary schools and literacy within families and communities.
McGinley founded Literacy for Learning and Life, an after-school program in Denver that gave children opportunities to read, write and work with university mentors. He also created Spoken, an online performance-poetry journal that published work by high school students from the Denver and Boulder Valley areas.
His research examined subjects including community-based literacy, teacher education, popular reading, literature classrooms and the role of the humanities in public education. McGinley received university and professional recognition for his teaching, research, community outreach and service.
Nathan James Remembered His Father as His Best Friend
James is an independent musician and entertainment photographer whose work combines nu metal, industrial music and modern rock. His official biography says his photography portfolio has included artists such as Avril Lavigne, Machine Gun Kelly, Post Malone, Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber.
James said McGinley meant the world to him and emphasized that they had remained in frequent contact throughout his adult life. After authorities located his father, James thanked everyone who treated the family’s emergency with urgency and compassion. He ended his message by asking others not to postpone telling the people they love that they are respected, understood and supported.