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A Missouri deputy attorney general has been found alive after being missing for six days after he went for a hike in the mountains.
“I'm going to kick him in the butt when I get back with him,” Shaun Mackelprang’s brother, Romel, said. “I'm going to tell him you can't hike these damn things anymore alone.”
Shaun Mackelprang is a deputy Attorney General in Missouri, but was in Wyoming when he went for a hike on August 20 from Green River Lakes Trailhead. When he didn’t return, it sparked a massive hunt that lasted nearly a week.
Shaun Mackelprang was found on Wednesday morning near Scott Lake in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Shaun had been found after a search involving the sheriff’s office’s drone team and a helicopter had been launched.
Romel revealed to Cowboy State Daily that his 55-year-old brother was dehydrated and disoriented when he was found. Then, he was flown to the hospital.
Sheriff’s officials guessed that when he left, Shaun planned to head to Gannett Peak. The mountain is the highest in Wyoming and stands at around 13,804 feet high.
However, Romel says that the family still does not know what happened to Shaun during the six days that he was missing.
“I think what happened is he,” Romel says, “clearly got disoriented coming back down.”
Romel added, “They found him wandering at a lake that probably looks similar to the one that his tent was pitched at.”
Images released by the sheriff’s office as they announced Shaun’s rescue showed him raising his arms in celebration.
Romel told Cowboy State Daily that his brother planned to return by Saturday. Although there were thunderstorms in the mountains, the family was not concerned when he did not contact them on Saturday.
“By Tuesday, by yesterday, we knew something was wrong,” Romel revealed, noting that his sister Sheila contacted officials on Sunday, believing weather conditions may have slowed Shaun’s progress.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway wrote on X that she was relieved to know that Shaun was safe.
“We are thrilled to hear that Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang has been located,” she wrote. “Our office is beyond grateful for everyone’s prayers and the steadfast work of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescue’s volunteers and helicopter crew, and Wyoming State leaders.”
However, Romel, who had not yet seen his brother when he spoke to Cowboy State Daily, said that he wanted to tell Shaun that he cannot hike alone anymore.
“His Christmas gift already this year is going to be a Garmin GPS,” Romel said.