Overview
- Search teams from Teton County Search & Rescue located a bright orange backpack from a helicopter and recovered the hiker’s body on Wednesday, July 29, below the ridge south of North Wigwam Peak.
- Officials and the Teton County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as 28‑year‑old William Standish and say evidence points to a fall though the official cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
- Standish had been attempting a southbound thru‑hike of the Continental Divide Trail and last gave a substantive update on July 19; his family received an automated Garmin check‑in without coordinates on July 23 and reported him missing on July 27.
- The body was found in the Wigwams, a steep, exposed off‑trail ridgeline used by some CDT hikers that rises above 10,800 feet and presents technical, navigation and fall hazards.
- The case underscores limits of automated satellite check‑ins for locating lost hikers and highlights how rapid family alerts can trigger air searches and helicopter short‑haul recovery in remote terrain while the coroner completes its investigation.