Yellowstone National Park (YNP) on Wednesday announced search crews are scaling back efforts to locate 22-year-old Austin King, who was last heard from on the summit of Eagle's Peak on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
A YNP news release says after 11 days of attempting to locate King the search is transitioning from a rescue to a recovery.
YNP says the search has involved more than 100 personnel including two helicopters, search dog teams, ground teams with spotting scopes, trackers, and a drone. Crews have searched more than 3,225 miles by air and ground at elevations ranging from 11,350 feet to 8,400 feet, according to the release.
The park shared this map of search and rescue efforts to find King:
Searchers have reportedly not found any definitive clues as to King's whereabouts.
“Despite significant search efforts over the past week and a half, we have not been able to locate Austin,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “Although we will continue to hope for the best, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Austin’s family, friends and colleagues. I also want to thank the teams from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, and Park and Teton counties, Wyoming, who have all worked tirelessly to find Austin in some of the most difficult and remote terrain in Yellowstone.”
King was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, according to the release, and failed to arrive for his boat pickup near Yellowstone Lake’s Southeast Arm on Sept. 20, after a planned 7-day solo backcountry trip to summit Eagle Peak, the highest point in YNP.
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YNP said in the release that limited search efforts "will continue into the foreseeable future as conditions warrant."
The park says no further updates are expected "unless a notable change occurs."
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