An Australian hiker has been found dead in a remote area between two of Wyoming’s most visited national parks, nearly a week after his family last heard from him, authorities said.
Search crews discovered the body of 28-year-old William Standish on Wednesday morning in the Wigwams, a rugged cluster of rocky peaks on the western slope of the Teton Range, the Teton County Coroner confirmed to The Post.
Standish, who was from Australia, had been attempting a thru-hike along the Continental Divide Trail between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park when he disappeared after contacting his family last Thursday, according to Teton County Search and Rescue.
Officials said evidence indicates Standish may have fallen from a steep, high-elevation ridgeline that divides Grand Teton National Park from the Jedediah Smith Wilderness.
Standish had started his long-distance trek in Canada and had been keeping in regular touch with relatives using a Garmin satellite device, officials from both national parks told local authorities.
On July 19, while near Old Faithful, he told his family he planned to continue through the demanding backcountry of the Tetons, the Gros Ventre Wilderness, the Wind River Range and the Divide Basin.
His final contact came on July 23, when relatives received a satellite check-in that included no coordinates or message. They also received a Facebook Messenger video they believe showed he was in the Tetons.
After several days without further communication, Standish’s worried family reached out to park officials on Monday.
On Wednesday morning, Teton County Search and Rescue flew in a helicopter to Standish’s last presumed tracking point, near the Wigwams, and spotted his bright orange backpack from the area.
Standish’s body was tragically recovered below the ridge south of the North Wigwam Peak.
The cause and manner of his death remain under investigation, the coroner said.
“TCSAR sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and wishes to express its gratitude to the partnering federal agencies who assisted in the investigation,” officials said in a press release.
