The family of a young Dublin man who went missing in Wyoming last June have renewed their appeal to help find his remains.
Cian McLaughlin (27) was hiking in the Grand Teton national park on June 8th when we went missing. Mr McLaughlin had been living in the area for two years at the time of his disappearance and had dual Irish and US citizenship.
His mother, Grainne McLaughlin, told RTÉ that her son was "an outgoing guy who loved the outdoors", adding that he worked as a snowboard instructor during the winter and as a barman during the summers.
Her son would always stop and chat to people and was loved by all his friends, she said.
Cian was “well versed in the mountains” and knew the importance of gear and equipment, having grown up going on walks with her and other family members, she said.
The family believes he was on a day hike and went off trail. At the time, snow was melting, which meant it would have been “a tricky time of year,” Ms McLaughlin said.
The family arrived in the area on June 17th and within two days were told that it was a recovery operation.
“I went through a huge amount of grief at that time. That was really hard”, she told RTÉ.
“This is not a rescue, it is a recovery, but I’d like to bring him home. I know he is up there somewhere. I am thinking of Cian at every moment and trying to connect with him and my hope is to bring him home, to have some resolution and bring him home.”
The family has launched a major social media campaign using the hashtag #FindCian.
His uncle, Colm O’Higgins told RTÉ that they are appealing to the public for information.
“Our appeal is to anybody who was in the park around June 8th and who may have taken photos. We are asking them to have a look at their pictures and see if there is somebody in the background. They can share them with us at bringcianhome@gmail.com or the park rangers”, he said.
Grand Teton National Park Chief Ranger Erika Jostad said that the search for Cian "won't end" until he is found.