Body of Missing Powell Man Found
Written by Andrew-Rossi on March 13, 2017
A five week search for a missing Powell man has come to an end.
On Saturday, March 11, the body of 61 year old “Gib” Mathers was found on the North Fork in the Elk Fork Creek drainage.
Mathers, who had been missing since Tuesday, January 31st, was discovered around 11:00 a.m. by a local man who was in the area on horseback. Mather’s body was found along the drainage two and a quarter miles south of the highway in a small clearing 20 feet west of the creek.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office says that investigators found no evidence of foul play and no apparent injuries. Mathers was evacuated by Search and Rescue and released to the county coroner. The exact cause of death is pending an autopsy.
Sheriff Scott Steward commended Park County Search and Rescue, immediate family members, and the general public on the countless hours spent in an effort to find Mathers since his disappearance. He said that this is by far the most difficult search that their volunteers have ever had to conduct, due to the terrain, winter conditions, and continual bad weather, combined with the fact that they had no idea of Gib’s direction of travel.
Steward added that he was relieved to be able to bring a degree of closure for the family.