For immediate release
Media contact: Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr, (307) 733-4052, mcarr@tetonsheriff.org
Jackson, Wyo. — At approximately 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, Teton County Search & Rescue located a hiker who’d been reported missing for nearly a week on the remote trail system between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
TCSAR is saddened to report that the hiker, a 28-year-old male from Australia, was found deceased near an area known as the Wigwams on the west slope of the Tetons in Teton County, Wyo. Evidence suggests that he may have fallen from a steep, high-altitude ridgeline that separates Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness.
The TCSAR helicopter during the operation on July 29, 2026. Photo: Teton County Search & Rescue
The following information was provided by rescue officials from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, which conducted the initial investigation:
The man had been attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, starting in Canada earlier this summer. He had been tracking his progress via a Garmin satellite device and giving regular updates to his family in Australia. His family described him as healthy with the ability to travel 25-30 miles a day.
On July 19, the hiker posted an update from a location near Old Faithful in Yellowstone. He described his upcoming itinerary in the Tetons, Gros Ventre Wilderness, the Wind River Range, and Divide Basin.
On July 23, the family received another Garmin check-in but it did not include coordinates or a message. During this same period, the family received a video via Facebook Messenger that they believe placed him in the Tetons. The family received no further communication, which they indicated was outside the man’s regular pattern.
On July 27, the family contacted officials from Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Park officials were able to determine that the Garmin tracking points on July 23 placed the hiker near the Wigwams inside Teton County. The parks then transferred the investigation and subsequent operations to Teton County Search & Rescue, which has jurisdiction for SAR operations outside of the two national parks.
On the morning of July 29, TCSAR assembled a helicopter short-haul team and flew to the hiker’s last presumed point. From the air, the team spotted a bright orange backpack which they believed belonged to the missing hiker. They then found the subject below the ridge south of North Wigwam Peak and collected the body for heli transport back to TCSAR headquarters in Jackson. From there, the team transferred the subject to the Teton County Coroner’s Office.
TCSAR sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and wishes to express its gratitude to the partnering federal agencies who assisted in the investigation.
