83-Year-Old Wyoming Man, Reported Missing Friday, Found Dead

A shed antler hunter from Fremont County who was reported missing Friday has been found dead.

The 83-year-old man, who was not identified in a statement Monday from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, was found in the Sweetwater River early Sunday afternoon.

Although the sheriff's office reported the man's age as 87 in its statement, Fremont County Coroner Mark Stratmoen told K2 Radio News on Monday that the deceased was in fact 83 years old.

The sheriff's office started looking for him on Friday, after he was reported missing in the Sweetwater Gap area near South Pass. He reportedly had been looking for shed antlers.

"The victim was located with the aid of cadaver dogs that were deployed on the mission Sunday," Fremont County Sheriff Ryan Lee said in the news release. "This area of the river consisted of steep canyon walls with a narrow trail along the river's edge. The trail itself had been inundated by flood waters and inaccessible by ground for the last two days."

"The snowmelt runoff receded Sunday morning and crews were able to access the area. The victim was located in a log jam about a quarter-mile from the Upper Sweetwater Campground," Lee added.

The death remains under investigation by the sheriff's office and the Fremont County Coroner's Office, which will release the name of the deceased. Stratmoen said that notification of family members was ongoing as of Monday morning.