Missing Hiker Above Lander Not Found After Thirteen Days
On September 27th at around 1:30 PM, the Fremont County emergency dispatch center received a 911 call from a man reporting that he had become separated from his hiking partner--Chuck Kaiser, 72, from Michigan--in the Blue Ridge area, just off of Loop Road. This according to a press release from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.
Kaiser has white hair, is approximately 5’9″ and weighs around 260 pounds. He was last seen wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
Since September 27th, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office and Fremont County Search and Rescue Team have been engaged in a massive search effort. On that day, search and rescue teams and sheriff's deputies responded to the area and began a search for the man using a Bloodhound tracking dog and several ground search teams, said the press release.
"As severe weather moved through the area, air assets were not able to fly." Searchers remained in the area until around 4:00 AM the next morning (Septemeber 28th). At 6:00 AM, "full scale search operations resumed."
The release said a helicopter from Sublette County's 'Tip Top Search and Rescue Team' was deployed to the area. The search has been ongoing daily since then.
The press release stated that the search will end this evening if Kaiser is not located.
"The Fremont County Sheriff's Office staff and all involved in the search effort are disappointed that we have not yet been able to bring closure for the family and friends of Chuck Kaiser as they endure a very difficult time and offer our most sincere condolences" said the release.
Throughout the search, Lander Search and Rescue and the Fremont County Sheriff's Office have received assistance from Dubois Search and Rescue, Riverton Search and Rescue, Tip Top Search and Rescue, The Wyoming Catholic College, Central Wyoming College, Tri State Search Dogs, Rocky Mountain Search Dogs, The Wyoming Game and Fish, the US Forest Service and other volunteers.