Explainer: Who Else Has Gone Missing In National Parks In Wyoming?

The search continued on Friday for missing man Cian McLaughlin who hasn't been since June 8 when he went hiking in Grand Teton National Park.

EF
Ellen Fike

June 18, 20212 min read

Camping at night 2

The search continued on Friday for missing man Cian McLaughlin, 27, who hasn’t been since June 8 when he went hiking in Grand Teton National Park.

While it isn’t uncommon for people to go missing in the park, it is more unusual for them to stay missing or never be found at all.

McLaughlin is currently the only person missing in Grand Teton, according to Missing NPF, a centralized database of people who have gone missing in national parks and forests.

However, there are currently three people who were last seen in Yellowstone National Park and never seen again: Stuart Isaac in 2010, Bruce Pike in 2006 and Daniel Campbell in 1991. With Yellowstone sprawling over 2 million acres, it is impossible for search teams to look in every nook and cranny throughout the park, especially in the days with less (or no) technology.

Isaac, 48 at the time of his disappearance, was a Maryland native and drove around 32 hours from his home to the park. He has been missing since Sept. 26, 2010, according to Missing NPF. It wasn’t clear why he went to the park, as he wasn’t an experienced outdoorsman.

While on his way to the park, around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2010, he called a high school friend, to whom he spoke for at least two hours. The friend was surprised to hear from him, as they normally communicated through emails and text messages.

On Sept. 26, 2010, Isaac’s black Lexus sedan was found at Craig Press in Yellowstone, off of the Grand Loop. No signs of him or human remains were spotted when search teams looked for him.

Pike, 47 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen at the Indian Creek Campground in the park on Aug. 2, 2006. His vehicle was later found abandoned in the park.

Not much information is available in Pike’s case, but according to the Charley Project, Texas authorities are also investigating his disappearance.

Campbell, 42 at the time he went missing, was last seen on April 4, 1991. He and his Australian shepherd dog were dropped off at a trailhead for Hellroaring Creek, possibly with the intent to collect deer antlers.

He was reported missing four days later, but no sign of him or the dog have ever been found.

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Ellen Fike

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