MINNEAPOLIS— Crews in Yellowstone National Park are scaling back a rescue mission for a young Minnesota man who hasn’t been seen in 11 days.
The park announced Wednesday that there is a rescue mission for the 22-year-old Austin King will now focus on a recovery mission. More than 100 people have traveled more than 5,225 miles by air and ground to search for King since his disappearance.
King, who is originally from Winona, worked in Yellowstone as a concession worker. He failed to pick up his boat on September 20 after his planned seven-day trip to the summit of Eagle Peak, park officials said. He called his family and friends from Eagle Peak on September 17, but had not been heard from since.
National Park Service
Crews began their search on September 21 and were able to locate King’s camp and personal belongings in the upper area of Howell Creek.
“Despite significant search efforts over the past week and a half, we have been unable to locate Austin,” said Chief Cam Sholly. “While we continue to hope for the best, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Austin’s family, friends and colleagues. I would also like to thank the teams from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and Park and Teton Counties, Wyoming, who all worked tirelessly to find Austin in some of Yellowstone’s most difficult and remote terrain.
