SUBLETTE COUNTY, WYO –
UPDATE (July 29, 10:15pm): Garrett Hunter has been found. He is safe with volunteers and in good health. Expect more Monday morning.
An active search and rescue mission is underway in Sublette County for a missing 13-year-old boy out of Draper, Utah.
At approximately 2 pm yesterday, July 28, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a missing hiker near Mary’s Lake in the Wind River Range. Mary’s lake is about 7 miles in from the Elkhart trailhead, which is 10 miles northeast of Pinedale.
Garrett Hunter, 13, of Draper, Utah was one of a 20 member Scout hiking group on a 50-mile planned trip in the area. Garrett is 5’9, 130 pounds has light brown hair and was last seen wearing a blue shirt and grey pants. Garrett has Asperger’s and may not approach anyone for help due to his condition.
Garrett was separated from his group around 930am after the group left the Thousand Island Lakes area yesterday morning July 28. The group was ending their 50-mile journey and headed back to the Elkhart trailhead via the Pole Creek trail. It is unknown when exactly Garrett became separated from the group.
Immediately after the initial call yesterday afternoon, a team consisting of six members of TipTop Search and rescue members along with the Sublette County contracted helicopter went to the area as part of the initial search. As of dusk last night the search efforts were unsuccessful.
Search efforts ramped up this morning with 20 TipTop search and rescue members along with assistance from Teton County Search and Rescue, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, WYK9 out of Jackson Hole have deployed to the area. In addition, approximately 38 self-deployed volunteers have arrived from Utah and are self-searching in coordination with TipTop Search and Rescue operations.
