A Cheyenne anesthesiologist whose body was found in the Wind River Mountains earlier this week apparently died from a fall, officials said Thursday.
Thor Hallingbye, 41, was last seen near Gannett Peak in the mountain range on the afternoon of Aug. 14 and was reported missing later that evening when he failed to return to his base camp in Sublette County.
Hallingbye’s body was found Monday afternoon by a helicopter crew on Gannett Glacier in Fremont County at an elevation of 12,942 feet. He’d died of an apparent fall.
After coordinating efforts with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the Fremont County Coroner, the Tip Top Search and Rescue short haul team planned Hallingbye’s recovery.
“This was a very challenging mission, and a very challenging recovery. Our team did a superior job and I am proud of their accomplishments on this mission,” Tip Top short haul Manager Milford Lockwood said.
“This appears to be a tragic climbing accident, and our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family of Mr. Hallingbye”, said Sublette County Sheriff’s Sgt. Travis Bingham.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Hallingbye’s family by Erin Flaherty of Whitefish, Montana.
“Jen [Hallingbye] is a strong woman and has both families nearby to help her in Cheyenne, but raising Oskar, Karl, and Katelynne just got a lot harder,” Flaherty wrote. “This fund is started in Thor’s memory and will be used to assist his family. Thank you for your support.”
State Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, lamented the news in a Facebook post earlier this week.
“I don’t know why this hurts so bad,” Brown wrote. “I hardly knew Thor but I was better for having known him. He was the kindest soul. He loved his wife and his kids more than anything. This world was better with him in it. I’m so heartbroken.”
“May God rest your soul, Thor. May God comfort Jenileah, the kids, Beth, and Stig during these troubling and heartbreaking times,” Brown said.
Hallingbye was an anesthesiologist and pain specialist at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
