Overview

• Grant Gardner, 38, was found beneath a ledge near the summit of Wyoming’s 13,000-foot Cloud Peak, where his clothing closely matched the terrain and hindered detection.
• He disappeared on July 29 after texting his wife that he had reached the summit and was more exhausted than expected during a planned three-day hike.
• Multi-agency teams and volunteers searched for weeks before efforts were officially suspended on August 21 due to a lack of new leads, according to reporting on the timeline.
• A North Carolina climbing team spotted a slight reflection under a ledge and alerted authorities via satellite; rescuers located Gardner’s remains near a suspected backpack at daylight on August 27.
• The case has been turned over to the Big Horn County Coroner’s Office to determine time, manner and cause of death, and a GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $66,000 toward a $100,000 goal.