Sheriff’s deputies and a nonprofit search team in Wyoming found and rescued a Missouri deputy attorney general Wednesday after he went missing on a hike last week.
The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that it found Missouri Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang, 55, near Scott Lake inside Bridger-Teton National Forest, 350 miles northwest of Denver, with the help of the nonprofit Tip Top Search and Rescue.
Mr. Mackelprang was safely transported from the area by helicopter at around 9:45 a.m. The sheriff’s office did not say whether he suffered any injuries.
By the time he was rescued, separate from where his tent was found, Mr. Mackelprang was dehydrated, according to the Pinedale Roundup newspaper.
He initially went missing last Thursday after going on a hike, starting at a trailhead inside the national forest and reaching Gannett Peak, 2 miles from Scott Lake, the sheriff’s office said.
Mr. Mackelprang successfully hiked the peak as part of a quest to climb the tallest points in all 50 states, with the Wyoming mountain being the 45th out of 50, his brother Romel Mackelprang, 70, said from his home.
The elder Mr. Mackelprang told Cowboy State Daily that he heard that his brother received intravenous fluid before the helicopter flight to a medical facility, adding that “I think what happened is he … clearly got disoriented coming back down. … They found him wandering at a lake that probably looks similar to the one that his tent was pitched at.”
In a social media post, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said that “we are thrilled to hear that Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang has been located. Our office is beyond grateful for everyone’s prayers and the steadfast work of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescue’s volunteers and helicopter crew, and Wyoming State leaders.”
