The search for a 27-year-old missing hiker in Grand Teton National Park will be refocused on Garnet Canyon today. Rangers yesterday received a report of a June 8th sighting of a man fitting Cian McLaughlin’s description from a local climbing guide.
The guide reported seeing the man hiking up the Garnet Canyon trail, above the Garnet Canyon /Surprise Lake junction around 3:45 pm on that day. The guide described him as a solo hiker who had shoulder-length hair and was wearing round glasses, a white shirt, shorts, and a hat. The guide also reported the man had tattoos on his arms and was carrying a bottle of water.
Based on this new information, search operations will be adjusted today to focus more on Garnet Canyon. Search efforts Wednesday included over fifty park staff conducting ground search efforts in high probability areas of the backcountry. Six search and rescue dog teams, members of Teton County Search and Rescue, and the Teton Interagency Helicopter have also been involved. Rangers continue to ask that anyone with information regarding McLaughlin’s whereabouts contact the National Park Service by text or phone at 888-653-0009.
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