Austin King

Case Information:

Austin King-Henke was 22 years old when he vanished from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, on September 17, 2024. Austin, a concessions employee for Xanterra Parks & Resorts, was an experienced adventurer who had spent his summer exploring the park’s most rugged interiors.

His final journey led him to the summit of Eagle Peak, the highest point in the park at 11,361 feet. From the peak, he made several emotional calls to his family, describing “ruthless” weather conditions before his signal vanished forever.

Case Details:

The alarm was officially raised when Austin failed to arrive for his scheduled boat pickup at Terrace Point on September 20. This failure to appear prompted an immediate mobilization by the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center to begin air and ground sweeps.

Searchers faced nearly vertical terrain and dense forests that made visibility nearly impossible from the air. The extreme isolation of the southeast arm of the park meant that rescue teams were often days away from the nearest motorized access.

Timeline of Events:

Austin began his backcountry trek on September 14, 2024, and was last confirmed seen by a park ranger at the Howell Creek Cabin on September 16. By the evening of September 17, he had successfully reached the peak and left a final, poignant note in the summit registry.

On September 21, search teams discovered Austin’s campsite and personal effects in the upper Howell Creek area. However, the site offered no clues as to his direction of travel, and heavy snow soon covered any remaining tracks in the high-altitude pass.

Investigation:

The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch coordinated with multiple agencies, including K9 units and cellular forensic experts. They analyzed the “pings” from his final summit calls to narrow the search radius to the treacherous slopes surrounding the peak.

By October 2024, park officials officially transitioned the mission from a rescue to a long-term recovery operation. Despite the use of high-altitude helicopters and advanced thermal imaging, the unforgiving Wyoming winter forced a temporary suspension of ground efforts.

Community Response:

In his home state of Minnesota, the community rallied to support the search through the Winona County Sheriff’s Office. A massive fundraiser at Trails End in Minnesota City helped provide the King-Henke family with the resources to hire private search teams.

A dedicated volunteer group known as “Team Austin“ has continued to review thousands of hours of drone footage captured during the summer months. Their persistence has kept the case in the public eye, ensuring that Austin is not forgotten as the search enters 2026.

Family Statements:

Brian King-Henke has been the driving force behind the continued search, frequently traveling to Wyoming to coordinate private recovery missions. He has described his son as a young man who truly lived by his final written words: “Life is beautiful.“

In a recent update to the community, the family expressed their deep gratitude for the global support they have received. They maintain that as long as there are unexplored areas of the Thorofare, they will continue to look for answers.

Physical Appearance:

Austin King-Henke is described as a 22-year-old male standing 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds. He has a slender build, brown hair, hazel eyes, and typically wears glasses.

He was last known to be wearing a black sweatshirt and gray sweatpants at the time of his summit climb. While his primary camping gear was recovered, he was likely carrying a smaller summit pack with essential supplies when he vanished.

Current Status:

As of April 2026, Austin remains missing, and the investigation is classified as an active recovery case. New search windows are planned for the summer of 2026 as the snowpack in the Absaroka Range begins to recede.

Authorities continue to ask that any hikers or researchers in the Eagle Peak vicinity report any unusual sightings or discarded equipment. The mystery of what happened after that final summit call remains one of the park’s most haunting cases.

Contact Information:

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Austin King-Henke, please contact the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center at 307-344-2643. Tips can also be submitted through the NPS Tip Line or the Park County Sheriff’s Office at 307-527-8700.

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