Missing Australian hiker found dead in Wyoming, officials say

A 28-year-old Australian hiker who lost contact with his family while hiking the Continental Divide Trail between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in Wyoming has been found dead, according to authorities.

The man, identified as William Standish, was discovered by rescuers on Wednesday morning in the Wigwams, a series of rocky peaks on the west slope of the Teton mountain range, the Teton county coroner said. Investigators say it was likely he suffered a fatal fall.

Standish had been attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail between the Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks when he disappeared after contacting his family on 23 July, according to a statement from Teton county rescuers.

Evidence suggests Standish may have fallen from a steep ridgeline that separates Grand Teton and the Jedediah Smith wilderness, officials said.

Standish was discovered by a helicopter team after it spotted an orange backpack – and then saw his remains below the ridge.

His family said it had stopped receiving updates from him via a Garmin GPS device and Facebook Messenger on 23 July, leading to a search being mounted by Teton county rescue crews.

On 19 July, Standish gave an update from a location near Old Faithful, and described his planned route in the Tetons, Gros Ventre wilderness, the Wind River range, and the Divide Basin.

Four days later, the family received a Garmin check-in without coordinates or a message. There was also a Facebook Messenger video that they believe placed him in the Wigwams.

The Teton county search and rescue team said it “sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased”. It also expressed gratitude to federal agencies who assisted in searching for Standish.

Standish had reportedly been following a popular thru-hike, or end-to-end through-hike, starting in Canada, the most northern point of the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail – which passes down through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.

There have been other hiking-related deaths in North America recently.

The Colorado Sun reported that a 15-year-old boy died after being struck by lightning on the state’s Mount Blue Sky on Monday. Sheriff’s officials identified the boy as Levi Strobel. Four other people were seriously injured, including Levi’s younger brother.

In Arizona, a man died during a hike on Phoenix’s South Mountain. Richard Fletcher, 61, left his home early on Saturday morning. Investigators later said his death was consistent with a heat-related or medical event, authorities told local media.

A 62-year-old man died in New Hampshire when he suffered a medical emergency in the state’s Welch-Dickey trail in the White Mountains. He was evacuated by national guard helicopter and later pronounced dead, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

Two hikers also died in Canada’s Banff national park. One was a woman in her 20s after falling from a mountain near Marvel Peak on Tuesday. Three days earlier, a 65-year-old from Calgary fell from Mount Temple, also in Banff, the CBC reported.