SOLO MISSION

Missing Deputy AG Found Alive 6 Days After Vanishing on Hike

The 55-year-old apparently became “disoriented.”

A Missouri deputy attorney general has been found alive, six days after he went missing on a solo hike. Shaun Mackelprang, 55, began his trek from Wyoming’s Green River Lakes Trailhead on August 20, planning to make it to Gannett Peak, the state’s highest mountain at 13,804 feet. He was reported missing after his vehicle was located at the trailhead. Search and rescue personnel located Mackelprang Wednesday morning near Scott Lake. “Mackelprang was located this morning in the vicinity of Scott Lake following an extensive search effort utilizing ground search teams, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team, and Tip Top Search and Rescue’s helicopter,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook on Wednesday. He was then airlifted to safety by helicopter and reunited with his loved ones. According to The New York Post, Mackelprang’s family still doesn’t know what happened on his trek. Mackelprang was dehydrated when rescuers found him and had reportedly become disoriented on the way down from the summit amid bad weather, his brother, Romel, told Cowboy State Daily. The area had been hit by thunderstorms and strong winds during Mackelprang’s trek.