GREAT FALLS — After five days of searching, efforts to find Kim Crumbo at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park have transitioned from rescue to recovery, park officials said on Friday, September 24, 2021.
Crumbo was reported missing several days ago, and his half-brother Mark O'Neill was found dead along the lakeshore on Monday, September 20.
Over 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, but did not find Crumbo.
Crews from the National Park Service’s Submerged Research 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.
A news release from Yellowstone states: "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."
If you have information that could help investigators piece together a timeline of events, or if you were in the Shoshone Lake area between September 12 and19 and saw O’Neill and/or Crumbo, you're asked to call 307-344-2428 or email yell_tip@nps.gov.
(SEPTEMBER 21, 2021) One man has been found dead and his half-brother is missing in Yellowstone National Park. Search and rescue crews found the body of Mark O’Neill along the east shore of Shoshone Lake on Monday, September 20, 2021.
O’Neill, 67 years old, from Chimacum, Washington, and his half-brother, Kim Crumbo, 74, from Ogden, Utah, were reported overdue by a family member on Sunday, September 19 from a four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone Lake.
Park crews on Sunday found a vacant campsite with gear on the south side of Shoshone Lake, as well as a canoe, paddle, personal flotation device, and other personal belongings on the east shore of the lake.
Crews found the body of O’Neill along the east shore on the morning of Monday; at this point, there is no word on the suspected cause of death.
Search and rescue efforts continue with 10 crew members on foot in the area Tuesday, September 21 to locate Crumbo. Grand Teton National Park interagency ship and crew are also assisting with air operations.
Yellowstone National Park said in a news release that O’Neill and Crumbo are both National Park Service retirees, and Crumbo is a former Navy SEAL.
Park officials said that incident is being investigated, and that "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. The average year-round temperature of the lake is about 48 F (9 C). Survival time is estimated to be only 20 to 30 minutes in water of this temperature.
