MISSOURI DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL FOUND ALIVE AFTER SIX DAYS MISSING IN WYOMING

SUBLETTE COUNTY, Wyo. — A Missouri deputy attorney general who disappeared during a solo hiking trip in Wyoming has been found alive after nearly a week in the backcountry, authorities said.

Shaun Mackelprang was located Wednesday morning, Aug. 26, near Scott Lake in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, six days after he began his trek toward Gannett Peak, the state’s highest mountain.

SEARCHERS FOUND HIM ALIVE

Mackelprang began hiking from the Green River Lakes Trailhead on Aug. 20, with plans to reach Gannett Peak.

When he failed to return and his vehicle remained at the trailhead, authorities launched a major search operation.

Ground teams, drones and a helicopter operated by Tip Top Search and Rescue were deployed across the rugged mountain terrain.

Searchers located Mackelprang at approximately 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office.

HE WAS CONSCIOUS WHEN RESCUERS REACHED HIM

Mackelprang was found conscious and was prepared for helicopter extraction from the remote backcountry.

Authorities did not immediately release detailed information about his medical condition or explain exactly how he survived the six days in the wilderness.

He was taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear.

AN EXPERIENCED SOLO HIKER

Mackelprang is a longtime attorney with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and has worked there for approximately 28 years.

He is also an experienced hiker who frequently takes solo trips, according to PEOPLE.

His planned destination was Gannett Peak, which rises more than 13,800 feet above sea level and sits within the remote Wind River Range.

A MASSIVE SEARCH EFFORT

The rescue operation involved multiple agencies and volunteers working across difficult backcountry terrain.

The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office credited its personnel, drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescue volunteers and helicopter crews with helping locate Mackelprang.

Officials also thanked members of the public and other backcountry users who shared information, photographs and GPS data during the search.

MISSOURI OFFICIALS REACT

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway expressed relief after learning that Mackelprang had been found.

She thanked the Wyoming search-and-rescue teams, volunteers and state officials who participated in the effort.

“Our office is beyond grateful” for the work that led to his safe recovery, Hanaway said.

SIX DAYS OF QUESTIONS

For nearly a week, Mackelprang’s disappearance left authorities and his colleagues searching for answers in one of Wyoming’s most rugged wilderness areas.

Now that he has been found alive, investigators and his family may finally learn more about what happened after he set out on Aug. 20.

For now, officials have not disclosed what caused him to become separated from his planned route or how he spent the six days before rescuers located him.

After six days alone in Wyoming’s backcountry, Shaun Mackelprang has been found alive — turning a desperate missing-person search into a remarkable rescue.