Overview

• A Vorarlberg hiker discovered a boot and human remains near the Verajoch at roughly 2,300 meters on July 23, 2025, and alerted police.
• Alpine police recovered the boot the next day and, during an expanded search in a large scree on the north side of the third Kirchlispitze, secured additional remains and personal items.
• Testing has identified the deceased as a 58-year-old shepherd from the Black Forest who vanished after a final phone contact recorded on the Austrian network on September 27, 2021.
• Authorities note the man had stated plans to visit the Kirchlispitzen and Alp Ludera, which a Kirchlispitzen summit book entry corroborated.
• Investigators have not determined how he died, with the exposed alpine terrain and time elapsed likely limiting forensic conclusions.