A body believed to be that of missing hiker Frank Stanley was recovered today and officials will now begin efforts to get a positive identification.
The body was recovered by a privately-funded “extreme recovery team,” according to a statement from Park County Coroner David Kintz Jr.
Three rescue workers were injured Aug. 21 trying to recover the body, which was found at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, near McMurdy Creek. A horse also broke its leg and had to be put down.
The body was 150 feet down in a cave-like area, where water from the creek runs in. It is accessible only by rope, said Park County officials.
Search teams found the body Aug. 20 east of 12,431-foot Bison Peak, where Stanley, 44, told friends he was hiking July 25. Family and friends reported Stanley missing Aug. 11 after they did not hear from him for a longer-then-usual period.
Kintz said today his office will used DNA and dental analysis to confirm the identity of the body.
