BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The Louisville Police Department has concluded their search for a former CU Boulder professor who went missing after going on a bike ride Wednesday morning and the case has been turned over to the Boulder County Coroner's Office, a spokesperson with the department told Denver7 Thursday.

William James McGinley, 72, was last seen near the intersection of Eisenhower Drive and South Boulder Road while heading toward the Harper Lake/Coyote Run Open Space Trail at approximately 8:40 a.m. Wednesday, according to the LPD spokesperson.

He was last seen riding a white Specialized pedal bicycle and wearing a dark blue shirt, black shorts, white socks, and white shoes, the spokesperson said.

McGinley, a former CU professor of Literacy Studies, was described by a family member as a white man measuring 6-feet tall and weighing around 155 pounds.

Denver7's Colette Bordelon contributed to this report.

Editor's note on July 30, 2026 at 3:15 p.m.: A previous version of this story stated McGinley was a professor at CSU. That is incorrect; the man was a professor at the University of Colorado. We regret the error.

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