Remains found 420 feet underwater believed to be those of missing kayaker in WY
A kayaker paddling across a Wyoming lake in a national park vanished more than a year ago, rangers say.
Now, remains believed to belong to Wesley Dopkins have been found by Bruce’s Legacy, a search and recovery nonprofit, the National Park Service said in a Sept. 9 news release.
Dopkins, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was last seen on June 15, 2024, as he paddled across Jackson Lake on a foldable kayak in Grand Teton National Park, rangers said.
“Shortly after his disappearance, his kayak, paddle, and dry bag were discovered floating off Moose Island near Leeks Marina,” rangers said.
Despite an extensive search with multiple agencies scouring the area by foot, air and water, rangers said Dopkins was not found.
Bruce’s Legacy, which is “known for its specialized sonar technology,” joined in the initial search for Dopkins and returned to search again last week, rangers said.
As rescuers with Bruce’s Legacy searched for Dopkins on Sunday, Sept. 7, they spotted something on their sonar, Keith Cormican, the nonprofit’s director, said in a Facebook video.
But with a storm rolling in, Cormican said the team decided to “had to leave Wesley there that night.”
Cormican said they contacted rangers about the sonar sighting and headed back out again the morning of Monday, Sept. 8.
“Wesley was a long ways from his last seen point,” Cormican said. “He was a mile and a half offshore where his partner had seen him last, and he was in 420 feet of water.”
Cormican said Dopkins’ recovery made for “one of the most difficult searches” he’s done.
“It was extremely difficult to search out here, but it … you know, paid off,” Cormican said. “We were able to bring Wesley back.”
The Teton County Coroner’s Office will identify the remains, rangers said, adding that “based on the characteristics of the remains and the location where they were recovered, they are believed to be those of Dopkins.”
Dopkins’ mother described him as a “world traveler” in an interview with the Pierce County Journal in July 2024.
“I can’t say more about what a wonderful son he was, and a gift and I just have to be grateful for what we had and the time that we had with him,” Kathryn Dopkins told the newspaper.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Remains found 420 feet underwater believed to be those of missing kayaker in WY."
