JACOB RIGBY - 27 yo - from Johnsburg/ McHenry IL - Glacier Nat Park MT

Johnsburg man missing in Montana

Jacob Rigby of Johnsburg is missing in Glacier National Park.

A 27-year-old Johnsburg man who was a seasonal employee at Glacier National Park in Montana was reported missing early Monday, park officials said.

Park dispatch received a call at 2 a.m. Monday alerting them that Jacob Rigby, a 2002 graduate of Johnsburg High School, was overdue from a personal day hike in the park and his supervisor notified park rangers that he did not show for work at his scheduled time later that morning, the National Park Service said in a news release.

Rigby's brother, Dave Rigby, said his brother's girlfriend knew he had gone on a hike and became nervous when he hadn't returned as planned.

Rangers have located his vehicle at the southern end of the park, along Montana Highway 2.

Dave Rigby said that his brother had been working on and off in the park for several years, most recently serving on the exotic plant team. He received a degree in geology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Officials think that Rigby was hiking an extreme mountain traverse with challenging terrain in the Soldier Mountain, Sheep Mountain, Brave Dog Mountain, Mount Despair and Eagle Ribs Mountain areas in the southern end of the park, but he may be anywhere in the vicinity.

Dave Rigby said he exchanged Facebook messages with his brother last week, but wasn't aware of this most recent trip. This wasn't unusual, though.

"He goes hiking on his time off all the time," Dave Rigby said, adding that his brother has received extensive training through the National Park Services.

Rigby is described as an avid and skilled hiker who is familiar with the park, possesses excellent scouting capabilities and enjoys hiking off trail. He is 6 feet tall with brown, short and curly hair. He is of medium build and suspected to be wearing a blue t-shirt, blue Patagonia hiking shorts, white/silver Mamut daypack, size 10 La Sportiva boots with Vibram soles, and possibly gators.

Dave Rigby thinks Jacob likely became lost or injured on his hike.

"He keeps to himself, but he's a really smart guy," Dave Rigby said on the phone in Montana. "We're not overly concerned that he did anything wrong. We're just thinking the he might have slipped and rolled his ankle and can't walk, or took a wrong turn."

Anyone that may have been in the area, in the Ole Creek or Park Creek Drainages, on Sunday and may have seen Rigby is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800 or 406-888-5800.

http://www.nwherald.com/2011/08/30/johnsburg-man-missing-in-montana/aiwwqyz/

WEST GLACIER - Search efforts are continuing in Glacier National Park
for Jake Rigby, 27, a park employee who has been missing since Sunday.

Authorities said they were following up on one lead late Tuesday with
Park rangers saying it looks like Rigby signed the summit register at
Brave Dog Mountain.

Glacier National Park officials have confirmed that Rigby's car was
found sitting at the Fielding Trailhead from his Sunday hike. Rigby is a
seasonal employee with the park and has been working for the exotic
plant team for the last three summer seasons.

He is no stranger to Glacier National Park's backcountry according to
park spokeswoman Denise Germann. "He is an avid hiker. He's very well
qualified to be hiking in the back country. It's just unfortunate we
don't know exactly where he was heading."

Park employees found Rigby's car at the Fielding Trailhead in the
south end of the park along U.S. Highway 2 and authorities believe he
hiked into treacherous areas in the park that could include the Soldier,
Sheep, and Brave Dog mountains.

Germann told us he could also be in the Mount Despair and Eagle Ribs
Mountain areas. "There's so much public land here in Northwest Montana,
but anybody heading into the backcountry- actually heading anywhere-
it's always a good idea, [to] make sure you're prepared and let someone
know where you're going and when you plan to return."

Ground crews, helicopters, a dog team, Flathead Valley Search and
Rescue and Flathead National Forest officials are all helping in the
search efforts for Rigby.

"It's unfortunate anytime someone is missing; someone is behind in a
schedule. There's lots of concerns with that, especially since it's one
of our own. That's very disheartening. We hope for the best," Germann
concluded.

Rigby's car continues to sit at the trailhead, along with a note pointing him in the right direction if he finds his way back.

The search will continue on Wednesday from the air and park officials
say they're worried about cooler weather moving into the area.


http://www.krtv.com/news/search-continues-for-missing-glacier-national-park-worker/

Body of missing Glacier hiker found
The search for a missing hiker in Glacier National Park has come to a tragic end,
as search personnel found the body of Jacob Rigby at approximately 2 p.m. on Friday.
The body was located on the mountain known as "8888" in the southern end of the park.
An initial investigation indicates that Rigby may have fallen approximately
800 feet on the north side of the extremely steep mountain.
Rigby's body was spotted by helicopter personnel during an aerial search
of the high-probability area between Ole Creek and Park Creek Drainages.
The Flathead County Coroner has been contacted and incident managers
are determining a plan to safely recover the body.
The search effort began Monday, August 29 after Rigby was overdue
from a personal day hike in the park on Sunday, August 28.
More than 50 people helped with the search efforts, including 31 searchers
who were searching and camping overnight in the steep and treacherous terrain.
Flathead Valley Search and Rescue and Flathead National Forest assisted with the search.
Rigby, 27 years old, worked for the exotic plant team at the park for the past three summers.
He also worked at other National Park Service sites during the winter season.
http://www.nwherald.com/2011/09/02/johnsburg-hikers-body-discovered-in-montana/art30y8/