Body of Missing Hiker Found a Month After He Disappeared in Wyoming Mountains amid ‘Difficult’ and ‘Dangerous’ Recovery

The body of a hiker who went missing in the Wyoming mountains last month has been found.

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

According to the release, “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 climbers made a high altitude camp for the evening.”

While setting up camp, the climbers noticed a reflection a few hundred feet above them, beneath a ledge. Believing it was a backpack, they chose not to investigate further due to the approaching darkness. Instead, they alerted the Sheriff’s Office and agreed to halt their plans until search and rescue (SAR) teams could arrive the following morning.

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

Gardner was later discovered near his backpack. Authorities confirmed that “a difficult/dangerous recovery was conducted and Grant Gardner is being brought home to his family.”

Officials noted that Gardner’s body was found in one of the primary search areas, consistent with the most likely scenarios investigators had considered. The Big Horn County Coroner’s Office is now working to determine the official cause and time of death. Investigators believe Gardner’s death was the result of a tragic accident.

The Sheriff’s Office thanked the climbers who spotted the backpack and the SAR teams who carried out the recovery, saying their efforts helped provide closure to Gardner’s family.

“It is noteworthy that this area had been covered by air and other means, underscoring how difficult this mission has been,” the statement added. Earlier this month, PEOPLE reported that the search had been suspended after authorities said they had “exhausted all resources.”

The department also thanked the outdoor community for its support, explaining that they delayed releasing the final update until the family had been notified and had time to process the news.

The discovery comes weeks after Gardner’s wife, Lauren Gardner, said she still held out hope her husband would be found alive. Lauren, who shares two children ages 11 and 13 with Grant, told Cowboy State Daily earlier this month, “I’m in shock, I think, and trying to stay strong for the kids. 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.”

She described her husband as an experienced outdoorsman who had been hiking for more than a decade and was always detail-oriented about his trips.

Gardner had embarked on a three-day hike in July through the Misty Moon Lake area, with plans to summit Cloud Peak before returning to his vehicle, PEOPLE previously reported. His last message to his wife was sent on the evening of July 29, telling her he had reached the summit but that the climb was more exhausting than he had anticipated.