Body of missing boy found

The search for a missing boy at the Flaming Gorge ended Tuesday night after his body was recovered from the Big Firehole Canyon area.

Deputies responded to a report of two missing people Friday at about 7 p.m. Deputies were informed a 34-year-old Rock Springs man and a 7-year-old boy were missing since departing their campsite in a side-by-side at about 11:30 p.m. the previous night. A person later reported the pair never returned to their camp in the ATV.

AT about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, deputies located an oil slick and debris floating on the surface of the water below a 200-foot cliff.

Divers later located the ATV submerged near the debris and recovered the remains of the adult man from inside the vehicle.

The sheriff’s office utilized a side-scan sonar expert to help recover the missing child. A side-scan sonar is a device used to create images of the bottom of lakes or oceans and is often used to find debris or possible obstructions to sea traffic. The sonar expert was from the Tip Top Search and Rescue team from Sublette County.

“We have now canvassed the entire area by air, boat, vehicle and on foot over the last two days,” Jason Mower, public affairs officer for the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

After resupplying following two days on the water, the county’s dive team met early Tuesday morning to coordinate continued search efforts, which culminated in discovering the boy's body Tuesday evening.