Missing Boise backpacker found dead after 1,000-foot fall, Utah officials say

A missing Boise backpacker was found dead after falling about 1,000 feet from Utah summit, officials said.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Department in Utah said Friday that Kyle Wimpenny, 25, was last seen in Idaho on Sept. 13. On Sunday, officials found Wimpenny’s body.

“With the help of the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau, the body of Kyle Wimpenny was airlifted from Kings Peak Henry’s Fork drainage to Kamas, Utah, where his body was turned over to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner,” the sheriff’s office said in a Sept. 21 news release. “It appears Kyle fell approximately 1,000 feet while attempting to summit Kings Peak.”

Officials said Wimpenny had “planned to backpack to Kings Peak in Summit County, Utah, and return home by Wednesday, Sept. 16.”

Rescue officials were searching for Wimpenny since Thursday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

Henry’s Fork Trail is a 26.8-mile trail, according to AllTrails. It is considered difficult.

This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Missing Boise backpacker found dead after 1,000-foot fall, Utah officials say."