Yellowstone Scaling Back Search Effort for Missing Utah Man
Written by Andrew-Rossi on October 11, 2021
Yellowstone National Park’s search and recovery operations are winding down, suggesting a tragic end for Utah resident Kim Crumbo.
On Friday, Oct. 8, Yellowstone National Park officials announced search and recovery efforts for 74-year-old Kim Crumbo of Ogden, Utah, have begun scaling back. Given the park’s weather over the last few weeks, a scaled-back search effort suggests Crumbo is no longer alive.
Since Sept. 19, numerous ground and aerial crews from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks have assisted in the search in and around Shoshone Lake. Shoshone Lake is the second-largest lake in Yellowstone National Park, located at the head of the Lewis River southwest of West Thumb.
Courtesy Yellowstone National Park
Crumbo has been missing since at least Sept. 19, vanishing during a four-day excursion with his brother Mark O’Neill in Yellowstone.
Crumbo and O’Neill, from Chimacum, Washington, were reported overdue from their four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone Lake by a family member Sunday, Sept. 19. On Monday, Sept. 20, park search crews found O’Neill’s body on the east shore of Shoshone Lake.
Every conceivable piece of technology has been used in the search for Crumbo: helicopters, boats, sonar technology, and ground crews. Yet, so far, nothing has turned up other than a canoe, paddle, and personal belongings not far from the site where O’Neill’s body was found.
Search efforts will continue, but the weather will soon prevent ground and aircrews from searching for any signs of Kim Crumbo.
Yellowstone’s current weather forecasts call for deteriorating conditions, including snow and freezing temperatures over the upcoming week. Park officials say limited search efforts will continue as long as the weather allows this year.
“All of us at Yellowstone extend our deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of both Mark and Kim,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “I want to personally thank the teams from Yellowstone, other parks and agencies, and partner organizations who worked to help us locate Mark and who continue search efforts to bring Kim home.”
This will likely be the last public information on the search for Crumbo, at least until he is found.
