Climbing
Teton County Search & Rescue searched Robert ‘Bob’ Lowery at the base of Teton Pass, WY, on Tuesday, September 28. After four hours of searching on foot, a team with a search dog located a body fitting Lowery’s description on a steep, timbered slope. Lowery, a 46-year-old man from Houston, hadn’t been seen since August 20. The cause of death is currently unknown. The family has been notified as authorities wait for verification.
On the search were 25 volunteers, along with three dog teams from the region, including from Jackson Hole Search Dogs and another from Driggs, Idaho.
An investigation into Lowery’s whereabouts had been ongoing within the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, but new clues recently surfaced that prompted the SAR callout.
The widespread news coverage of the Gabby Petito search helped bring light to Lowery’s case and resulted in at least two members of the public calling local authorities this past weekend with new information about his possible last seen point. The new information put Lowery on the Black Canyon Trail, wearing a black baseball cap with a gold P, and carrying a black duffle bag with the Nike logo.
Given this new information, TCSAR initiated a response. The volunteers split into seven teams and combed the thick timbered area surrounding Black Canyon, a popular hiking and mountain biking trail in the summer. At about 1 p.m., a dog team located a body and black Nike duffle bag significantly off-trail on a steep, wooded slope. Volunteers spent Tuesday afternoon recovering the body from the mountainside. Collectively, the search teams hiked more than 75 miles and covered 22,500 feet in elevation.
TCSAR offers its gratitude to all those who helped in the search and sends its most sincere condolences to the deceased’s family.
