Hunters discovered separated human bones scattered in a remote area near the Sweetwater Guard Station Campground earlier this month, according to the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office responded to the area on September 6 in response to a report of “human remains discovered by hunters,” according to a statement released Wednesday evening by agency spokesman Lt. Travis Bingham.
Deputies and detectives discovered “disarticulated human skeletal remains scattered along with a tent and personal items” that appeared to have been there for about five years, according to the statement.
Based on preliminary findings, the remains appear to be those of an adult male.
Investigators discovered an identification card but have yet to confirm the individual’s identity or cause of death, according to the statement.
“However, foul play does not seem to be a factor,” wrote Bingham. “No missing person reports have been matched to the remains or the location.”
The statement urges anyone who’s visited the Sweetwater Gap area in recent years and possibly encountered bones, camping equipment or other personal items to contact Detective Hana Patterson at [email protected], or Detective Sgt. Travis Lanning [email protected].
Occasionally …
The remains were northwest of the Sweetwater Guard Station Campground, which sits on the eastward Fremont County side of the county line.
Both Sublette and Fremont County sheriff’s offices told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that the Wind River Mountain Range calls for “occasional” search and rescue (SAR) missions.
The bones were discovered in a “very remote” area near a trailhead on the south end of Sublette County, in the Wind River Mountains, according to Bingham in a text message sent on Thursday.
“There isn’t a lot of SAR there, but it happens occasionally,” Bingham added.
According to Fremont County Undersheriff Mike Hutchison, the Fremont County side of that range receives few search and rescue calls, while the Cirque De Towers area to the north is “pretty busy.”
“At least on the Fremont County side (of the Wind River mountains), I mean, we do have things occasionally up there,” Hutchison told me.
