The family of a man who disappeared in Teton County after flying to Jackson in mid-August is renewing its call for any information about his disappearance.
Leigh Lowery said witnesses have helped the family determine that Robert “Bob” Lowery was last seen on the Black Canyon Trail near Wilson at around 2:45 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20.
Two hikers on the trail described Lowery as sitting on a big rock along the trail. The two reported the sighting after seeing Lowery’s “missing person” poster and recognizing his Nike duffle bag.
“They had exchanged hellos that day and the couple could even timestamp when they saw Bob based on pictures they took right near where he was sitting down,” Leigh Lowery said on social media. “Bob was sitting on a large rock on the righthand side of the trail, with his black duffle behind him. He was alone.”
The couple also reported seeing only three people on the trail that day, including Bob Lowery, and indicated they were not sure as to whether he was tired or just thinking while sitting on the rock.
Originally, Lowery was reported as last being seen taking a rideshare vehicle to Pearl Street Bagels in Wilson. The reported sighting on the trail would have been about 75 minutes after his ride to the bagel shop.
The Black Canyon Trail is more than 12 miles and does not offer any campsites, just lots of wilderness. It is also more known as a trail for mountain bikers than hikers.
“He’d have to go off path to camp,” Leigh Lowery said. ” We assume he walked all that way with a heavy duffle. No doubt he would have been tired. We now know he had a grey tent and blue sleeping bag with him.”
She added that thankfully, the trail is somewhat shady and had streams available, in case her brother ran out of water after he disappeared.
Leigh Lowery said she intended to return to the Jackson area the weekend of Oct. 2 to continue searching for her brother. The Lowery family is working to get in touch with expert hikers, search and rescue teams, mountain biking groups and possibly a helicopter or drone pilot to aid in the search.
“Please keep Bob and his/our family in your prayers. We truly appreciate all the love and support and hope we find him safe and sound, so he can come do what he loves most of all, be a dad,” she said.
Bob Lowery had a grey, single-person Magellan Kings Peak tent and a blue sleeping bag. He was last seen wearing hiking boots, blue jeans, a black baseball cap with the letter “P” and carrying a large black Nike duffle bag with the white logo. The bag likely contained his tent and camping equipment. He has brown hair and blue eyes.
The missing man flew to Jackson from Houston on Aug. 19. Leigh Lowery said her brother is the loving father of two children with whom he had daily contact, and it is unusual for him to be out of touch with his children for so long.
The Lowery family filed a missing persons report with the Teton County Sheriff’s Department about a week after they last heard from Bob. The department’s investigation is ongoing.
“Community members have been incredibly kind and responsive, but Bob has yet to be found,” Leigh Lowery said. “As you can imagine, the worst part is not knowing and desiring his safe return. We continue to hope that he is well and will return home safely.”
Cowboy State Daily previously reported that Lowery had never been to Jackson prior to his arrival from Houston and he had no previous camping experience.
Before Lowery left Houston, he canceled his mail delivery.
