A helicopter crew located the 28-year-old below a high ridgeline after his family reported an unexplained break in satellite contact.
JACKSON, Wyo. — Search and rescue crews found a missing 28-year-old Australian hiker dead Wednesday morning in a remote section of the Teton Range, ending a search that began after his family stopped receiving regular satellite updates.
Teton County Search and Rescue said the man was located at about 8:20 a.m. July 29 near the Wigwams on the western slope of the mountains. Crews found him below a ridge south of North Wigwam Peak, close to the boundary between Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness. Evidence at the scene suggested that he may have fallen from the steep, high-altitude ridgeline, the agency said. A final cause of death had not been released.
The man had been attempting a southbound thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, a long-distance route extending between Canada and Mexico. He had stayed in contact with relatives in Australia through a Garmin satellite device while traveling through remote areas with limited or no cellphone service. Authorities had not publicly released his name in the reports reviewed Thursday.
His family received an update July 19 from the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone National Park. He indicated that he planned to continue through the Tetons, the Gros Ventre Wilderness, the Wind River Range and the Divide Basin as he moved south along the route.
On July 23, the family received a Garmin check-in that did not include coordinates or a written message. They also received a video through Facebook Messenger that they believed placed him somewhere in the Tetons. When no additional communication followed, relatives contacted park officials July 27.
Personnel from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks reviewed the hiker’s available tracking information and worked to narrow his last known location. Officials determined that the relevant area was in Teton County and outside the national parks, placing the search under the responsibility of Teton County Search and Rescue.
Search crews prepared a helicopter short-haul operation Wednesday morning and flew toward the Wigwams. During the aerial search, volunteers spotted a bright orange backpack. They then located the hiker below the ridge south of North Wigwam Peak, according to the rescue agency.
A short-haul operation allows rescuers to transport a person beneath a helicopter when terrain prevents the aircraft from landing. The technique is used in steep and isolated mountain areas, but the rescue agency did not release additional operational details about Wednesday’s recovery.
Crews recovered the man’s body and transported it to Teton County Search and Rescue headquarters in Jackson. The body was later transferred to the Teton County Coroner’s Office, which is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death and releasing identification information when appropriate.
The rescue organization offered condolences to the man’s family and friends and thanked the federal agencies that assisted with the investigation and recovery. No additional search operations were planned, and authorities had not announced when the coroner’s findings would be available.
Author note: Last updated July 30, 2026.