A Missouri deputy attorney general who disappeared after setting out for Wyomings highest peak was Wednesday after six days in the rugged mountains, authorities said.
Shaun Mackelprang was found Wednesday morning near Scott Lake in after search crews spent days looking for him on the ground and from the air, according to the Sublette County Sheriffs Office.
Rescuers reached Mackelprang and prepared him to be flown out of the backcountry by helicopter around 9:45 a.m.
MISSING CANADIAN HIKER FOUND DEAD 2 WEEKS AFTER VANISHING DURING MOUNTAIN TREK IN WASHINGTON
Mackelprang was dehydrated and disoriented when rescuers found him, his brother, Romel Mackelprang, told Cowboy State Daily.
Romel said his brother has been working his way through the highest points in all 50 states, with Gannett Peak, the highest mountain in Wyoming at an elevation of 13,804 feet, next on his list.
“This is number 45,” Romel told the outlet, adding that rescuers found his brother had signed the summit register, meaning it appeared the trouble began during his descent.
UTAH HIKER KILLED BY LIGHTNING JUST STEPS FROM MOUNTAIN SUMMIT DURING TREK WITH BROTHER
He said he did not know how much longer his brother could have survived in the backcountry.
“There’s only so much you can handle,” Romel said. “So we just are so grateful for everything that everyone has done on his behalf.”
Mackelprang set out from the Green River Lakes Trailhead on Aug. 20, 2025, planning .
The search began after Mackelprang was reported , and his vehicle was found at the trailhead.
Crews from Tip Top Search and Rescue and the searched for Mackelprang with help from the sheriffs drone team and a rescue helicopter.
Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway also celebrated Mackelprangs rescue.
“We are thrilled to hear that Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang has been located,” Hanaway said in a statement.
“Our office is beyond grateful for everyones prayers and the steadfast work of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescues volunteers and helicopter crew, and Wyoming State leaders,” Hanaway added.
The sheriffs office also thanked hikers and others who shared information about Mackelprang, reviewed photographs and GPS data and helped spread word of his disappearance.
Authorities have not said what happened to Mackelprang during the six days he was missing.
