Overview
- On June 30, 2026, the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory confirmed a biological match to family reference samples collected in Scotland after a roughly 10-month investigation.
- Forest workers first discovered scattered skeletal remains near Sweetwater Gap on September 6, 2025, and a multi-agency search later recovered about 85% of the skeleton.
- Interpol and Police Scotland worked with the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office to obtain DNA from relatives in Scotland and to help trace the decedent as John Gillies of Kirkintilloch.
- Authorities have notified Mr Gillies’ family and at the family’s request are coordinating with the Sublette County Coroner’s Office and Interpol to return his remains to Scotland.
- The cause and circumstances of death remain undetermined, and investigators say rugged terrain and a long post-mortem interval complicated recovery and forensic work.