Body of Missing Hiker Found a Month After He Disappeared in Wyoming

The body of a hiker, who went missing in the Wyoming Mountains a month ago, has been found.

On Thursday, Aug. 28, the Big Horn County Wyoming Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a post on Facebook that Grant Gardner, 38, “had been found deceased in the Cloud Peak Wilderness” by a team of climbers after he was last heard from on July 29.

“On 8/26/25 during the late afternoon/ early evening hours, a professional climbing team from North Carolina summited Cloud Peak and descended on the northern route of the peak, prior to a summit attempt on Woolsey Peak the next day,” the release read. “The climbers made a high altitude camp for the evening.”

“While making camp the climbers noticed a slight reflection a few hundred feet above them underneath a ledge,” the authorities added. “The climbers were confident it was a backpack. Due to the rapidly approaching darkness, further investigation was too dangerous.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The group of climbers alerted the Sheriff’s Office about the backpack, and “graciously agreed to abort their plans and wait for SAR (search and rescue) teams to arrive at daylight,” the release added.

“Teams launched on 8/27/2025 from the Greybull Airport and West Ten Sleep Trailhead,” authorities continued. “First Flight of Wyoming graciously approved a final flight, and transported the teams to the North Carolina climber’s high altitude camp. The SAR Team and climbers gained access to the area.”

Gardner was later discovered near his backpack, according to the release.

The Sheriff’s Office said a “difficult/dangerous recovery was conducted and Grant Gardner is being brought home to his family.”

“Gardner’s body was located in 1 of our 2 primary search areas, very closely matching one of the highest probability scenarios,” officials said.

The Big Horn County Coroner’s Office is now determining the time and case of Grant’s death with the Sheriff’s office believing Gardner “succumbed to a tragic accident as we all have surmised.”

The department thanked the professional climbers who were able to notice “a small piece of fabric on a pack that was otherwise undetectable, for selflessly aborting their plans and working with SAR Teams to find Gardner, providing closure to his family.”

“It is noteworthy that this area had been covered by air and other means, underscoring how difficult this mission has been,” the release continued about previous attempts to locate Gardner, which PEOPLE previously reported had been suspended earlier this month after the authorities “had “exhausted all resources.” 

Authorities thanked the SAR Teams for their persistence, as well as the outdoor community who offered support. 

“We waited to release this final update pending family notification and to give them a moment to process. While it’s not the outcome we hoped for, we are hopeful this will provide much needed peace and closure to the family,” they concluded.

The discovery of Gardner’s body comes weeks after his wife, Lauren Gardner, with whom he shares two children, ages 11 and 13, said she still had hope that he would be found alive.

“I’m in shock, I think, and trying to stay strong for the kids,” she told Cowboy State Daily earlier this month. “This has never happened in all the years he’s gone out. He knows what he’s doing and has the skills. I’m just hoping right now.”

Lauren described her husband as an experienced outdoorsman who has “been hiking for over a decade.” 

“He’s used to this stuff, and he’s very detail-oriented,” she added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Gardner embarked on a three-day hiking trip through the Misty Moon Lake area in July, with plans of summiting Cloud Peak, before returning to his vehicle, PEOPLE previously reported.

His last message to his wife was on the evening of Tuesday, July 29, when he said he had reached the summit, but that the “climb was more taxing than he expected and he was tired,” authorities said at the time.

PEOPLE has contacted the Big Horn County Coroner’s Office for comment.