A 22-Year-Old’s Family Is Still Searching After He Went Missing in Yellowstone in 2024

A family is searching for answers after their 22-year-old son vanished. The young man is named Austin King, and his family says that he went missing after scaling the highest peak in Yellowstone National Park.

Last the family heard, King was experiencing some harsh weather on the trail. However, when it came time to descend the mountain and return home, he never appeared, and the family began their search for the missing Minnesota native.

Days quickly turned into weeks, which became months, and then a year.

However, the family hasn't given up hope, and King's father is still on the hunt for her son, who he believes is still somewhere in the park. Keep reading to learn what search and rescue efforts have uncovered about the missing Yellowstone hiker, including an update on the case that has one family in a state of suspended grieving while they look for answers about what happened that day on the mountain.

King's father, Brian King-Henke, says that he last heard from his son on Sept. 17, 2024, when King called his dad to tell him that he had reached the top of Eagle Peak, the park's highest point.

According to King-Henke, the 22-year-old recounted details about his hike, which included a dramatic change in conditions, which caused the trail to become windy, as fog, sleet, rain, and hail moved in. Three days after the phone call, King failed to arrive at his pickup spot.

According to local NBC News station KARE11, the National Park Service (NPS) then launched a search for the Minnesota native, but they never found any trace of the young man. When weather conditions permitted, they even took their search to the skies to try and fly over the area where he went missing, but they didn't see any sign of him there, either.

At the time, KARE11 says King-Henke shared a Facebook post about the search and rescue situation. "All I want to be able to do is say as a dad, I did everything I could to give the best chance of finding him," he wrote.

King-Henke has remained dedicated to finding his son, and even raised quite a bit of money on GoFundMe to hire a private search team to look for King after the NPS searches came up empty.

However, on Nov. 1, 2025, the grieving father shared what looks to be his final update about the case, thanking everyone who has helped along the way for their efforts, and explaining how he and his surviving children are beginning to come to terms with this devastating loss.

And while the investigation will still go on as they review drone footage and respond to any new information they receive, it seems like the operation has turned into recovery mode, as they no longer expect to find King alive.

"Austin's my oldest son of five," the grieving father wrote in part. "He has two Brothers and two Sisters who's lives will never be the same without him." Then King-Henke thanked his son for making him a father before signing off with "I love you, dad."

The GoFundMe remains active, and anyone who has any information about King's disappearance can still contact the family to share anything they find out. But for now, it seems that the family has come to terms with the 22-year-old's loss and begun the very complicated process of grieving.