Missing 64-year-old hiker fell to his death on 11-day solo trek, Wyoming sheriff says
A hiker who went missing on a solo 11-day trek in Wyoming has been found dead, according to a sheriff’s office.
John Diepholz, 64, of Minnesota, started his journey Aug. 5 into the Wind River Range, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 24 Facebook post.
Deputies said he was reported missing on Aug. 21 when he didn’t contact family after Aug. 16, his expected return date.
In the days after Diepholz was reported missing, deputies said they searched for him via helicopter and on foot.
Search and rescue members also interviewed more than 200 people hiking the area, the sheriff’s office said.
On the fourth day of searching, search and rescue members found Diepholz dead above Spider Lake, deputies said.
“It was not the outcome any of us wanted, but we can at least bring some closure to all involved,” deputies said.
Diepholz died from injuries sustained during a fall, deputies said.
“We are broken but fortunate to have answers and some closure,” the man’s niece wrote on Facebook.
Sublette County is about 145 miles southeast of Yellowstone National Park.
This story was originally published August 25, 2023 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Missing 64-year-old hiker fell to his death on 11-day solo trek, Wyoming sheriff says."
