Yellowstone National Park scales back search and recovery of Shoshone Lake canoer - NPS News Release
News Release
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
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Contact: Morgan Warthin, (307) 344-2015
10/8 Update: Yellowstone National Park scales back search and recovery of Shoshone Lake canoer
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park has begun scaling back search and recovery efforts for Kim Crumbo. The search for 74-year-old Crumbo from Ogden, Utah, has continued for nearly three weeks using helicopters, boats, sonar technology and ground crews. Current weather forecasts call for deteriorating conditions over the upcoming week, including snow and freezing temperatures. The park will continue limited search efforts as long as conditions allow this year.
Crumbo and his brother Mark O’Neill, from Chimacum, Washington, were reported overdue by a family member Sunday, Sept. 19 from their four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone Lake. Park search crews found O’Neill’s body on the east shore of Shoshone Lake on Monday, Sept. 20. Read below for a history of the incident.
"All of us at Yellowstone extend our deepest sympathies to the families, friends and colleagues of both Mark and Kim," said Superintendent Cam Sholly. "I want to personally thank the teams from Yellowstone, other parks and agencies, and partner organizations who worked to help us locate Mark, and who continue search efforts to bring Kim home."
This incident is still under investigation, and we cannot comment further about specifics.
The park does not expect to provide further updates unless a notable change occurs.
Editor’s Note: Due to the remoteness of this incident, the park has limited photos to share. Find photos of the crews at Shoshone Lake here.
9/29 Update: Cause of death determined for Shoshone Lake canoer in Yellowstone, search and recovery continues for brother
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – An autopsy has been completed on
67-year-old Mark O’Neill whose body was found on the east shore of
Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park Monday, Sept. 20. The autopsy
determined the cause of death of O’Neill was exposure (hypothermia).
O’Neill, from Chimacum, Washington, along with his *brother, 74-year-old
Kim Crumbo, from Ogden, Utah, were reported overdue by a family member
Sunday, Sept. 19 from their four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone
Lake.
Search and recovery efforts continue at the lake to locate Crumbo. Crews from the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center
are using sonar equipment to detect clues in the water. Park crews
continue to search for Crumbo by foot and boat, with assistance from
Grand Teton National Park’s interagency helicopter and dog teams from
Western Montana Search Dogs. These recovery efforts will continue for
the next several days as conditions warrant.
This incident remains under investigation. While we cannot comment
further about the specifics of this investigation, we will provide
updates when appropriate to do so.
If you have information that could help investigators piece together a
timeline of events, or if you were in the Shoshone Lake area between
Sept. 12-19, please contact us, if you have not already, at 307-344-2428
or yell_tip@nps.gov.
A sincere thank you to the public who have expressed interest in
assisting with the search. We ask the public to maintain distance from
any law enforcement personnel and search crews, equipment, vehicles and
their related activity for the safety of the public in this remote area
and to protect the integrity of our work.
*Correction: Previously, we referred to the brothers as half-brothers. We apologize for the error. They are brothers.
Editor’s Note: Find photos of the crews at Shoshone Lake here.
9/24 Update: Search at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park moves from rescue to recovery
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – After five days of searching, efforts to
locate Kim Crumbo at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National
Park transition from rescue to recovery today, Sept. 24.
During the last five days, crews swept all the trails in the area,
searched the entire Shoshone Lake shoreline by boat and gridded the open
water by helicopter. Unfortunately, they did not find Crumbo.
Today, crews from the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center will
begin using sonar equipment to detect clues in the water. Park search
crews continue to search for Crumbo by foot and boat, with
assistance from Grand Teton National Park’s interagency
helicopter. Recovery efforts will continue for the next several days as
conditions warrant.
This incident remains under investigation. While we cannot comment
further about the specifics of this investigation, we will provide
updates when appropriate to do so.
If you have information that could help investigators piece together a
timeline of events, or if you were in the Shoshone Lake area between
Sept. 12-19, please contact us, if you have not already, at 307-344-2428
or yell_tip@nps.gov.
A sincere thank you to the public who have expressed interest in
assisting with the search. We ask the public to maintain distance from
any law enforcement personnel and search crews, equipment, vehicles and
their related activity for the safety of the public in this remote area
and to protect the integrity of our work.
Editor’s Note: Find photos of the crews at Shoshone Lake here.
9/23 Update: Fatality, active search and rescue at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park search and rescue personnel continue to
look for 74-year-old Kim Crumbo by foot, boat and Grand Teton National
Park’s interagency helicopter at Shoshone Lake and will continue for the
next several days as conditions warrant.
Crews located the body of Mark O’Neill along the east shore of Shoshone
Lake Monday, Sept. 20 after he and Crumbo failed to return from a
four-day backcountry canoe trip. A family member reported the men were
overdue on Sept. 19. O’Neill’s cause of death has not been determined.
Yellowstone National Park extends our heartfelt condolences to Mark
O’Neill’s family and loved ones. Our thoughts are with them as they
mourn.
This incident remains under investigation. While we cannot comment
further about the specifics of this investigation, we will provide
updates when appropriate to do so.
If you have information that could help investigators piece together a
timeline of events, or if you were in the Shoshone Lake area between
Sept. 12-19 and saw O’Neill and Crumbo, please contact us at
307-344-2428 or yell_tip@nps.gov.
A sincere thank you to the public who have expressed interest in
assisting with the search. We ask the public to maintain distance from
any law enforcement personnel and search crews, equipment, vehicles and
their related activity for the safety of the public in this remote area
and to protect the integrity of our work.
Editor’s Note: Find photos of the search and rescue crews at Shoshone Lake here.
9/22 Update: Fatality, active search and rescue at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Park search and rescue personnel continue
to look for Crumbo by foot, helicopter and boat at Shoshone Lake and
will continue for the next several days as conditions warrant.
This incident still remains under investigation. While we cannot comment
further about the specifics of this investigation, we will provide
updates when appropriate to do so.
We ask the public to maintain distance from any law enforcement
personnel, equipment, vehicles and their related activity for the safety
of the public in this remote area and to protect the integrity of our
work.
9/21 News Release: Fatality, active search and rescue at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - Park search and rescue crews located the
body of Mark O’Neill along the east shore of Shoshone Lake in
Yellowstone National Park Monday, Sept. 20.
O’Neill, 67, from Chimacum, Washington, and his half-brother, Kim
Crumbo, 74, from Ogden, Utah, were reported overdue by a family member
Sunday, Sept. 19 from their four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone
Lake.
On Sunday, Sept. 19, park crews located a vacant campsite with gear on
the south side of Shoshone Lake, as well as a canoe, paddle, PFD and
other personal belongings on the east shore of the lake. Crews located
the body of O’Neill along the east shore during the morning of Monday,
Sept. 20.
Search and rescue efforts continue with 10 crew members on foot in the
area Tuesday, Sept. 21 to locate Crumbo. A Grand Teton National Park
interagency helicopter and crew are also assisting with search efforts.
Both O’Neill and Crumbo are National Park Service (NPS) retirees, and Crumbo is a former Navy Seal.
This incident remains under investigation. While we cannot comment
further about the specifics of this investigation, we will provide
updates when appropriate to do so. We ask the public to maintain
distance from any law enforcement personnel, equipment, vehicles and
their related activity for the safety of the public in this remote area
and to protect the integrity of our work.
Shoshone Lake, the park’s second-largest lake, is located at the head of
the Lewis River southwest of West Thumb. At 8,050 acres (3,258 ha), its
average year-round temperature is about 48 F (9 C). Survival time is
estimated to be only 20 to 30 minutes in water of this temperature.
Learn more about boating regulations and safety in the park.
Editor’s Note: No photos of this incident are available.