A Lakeville man who went missing while climbing a Wyoming mountain in July was found deceased this week, and officials believe he died from a “tragic accident.”

Grant Gardner 38, was last heard from on the evening of July 29. He texted his wife to let her know that he reached the top of Cloud Peak — at an elevation of more than 13,000 feet — in a rugged wilderness area in north-central Wyoming.

Gardner said the climb was more taxing than he expected, and that he was planning to head to a lower elevation for the night. He never returned.

Despite an extensive air and ground search for Gardner, he was not found and officials last week said they were heartbroken to shift the search from a rescue to a recovery operation.

Gardner’s body was found Wednesday after a professional climbing team

See Full Page