Garrett Bardin found
Media release from the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office
by Sublette County Sheriff’s Office
July 7, 2008
Below is a media release from the Sublette County Sheriff’s office. A Memorial Service for Garrett will be held on Wednesday, July 9, at 10:00 AM at the Pinedale Auditorium. Cards may be sent to the Bardin and Richie Family at PO Box 22, Boulder, WY 82923.
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MEDIA RELEASE
July 7, 2008
SUBLETTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
PO BOX 701
PINEDALE, WY 82941
Point of Contact: Special Investigator Randy Hanson - Public Information Officer
(307) 367-4378 / (307) 260-7062, randall.hanson@yahoo.com
The body of the man found on July 3rd in the Wind River Mountains not far from the banks of the Big Sandy River has been identified as Garrett Bardin, 24, of Pinedale.
According to Sublette Deputy County Coroner K.C. Lehr and county investigators who recovered the body and processed the scene, the apparent cause of death was a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sublette County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Randy Hanson said Bardin was found by Tip Top Search & Rescue volunteers at about 10:00 AM in a remote area about 650 yards southeast of the spot where his 2006 Lincoln 4x4 pickup was recovered on June 24th, and a little over half a mile from the Rainbow Family Gathering camp.
Searches for Bardin in the high mountain country around the old Dutch Joe Guard Station, carried out by sheriff’s deputies, search and rescue members, family members and volunteers since his family reported him missing on June 24th, produced negative results.
Search efforts on July 2nd and 3rd focused on particularly rough country that officials believed merited additional attention. It was this strategy that resulted in the discovery of Bardin’s body.
During the investigation into Bardin’s disappearance and his last confirmed contact on June 21st, leads were developed that indicated he may have spent time in the Rainbow camp or along its fringes in the days before his death.
"Unfortunately, we may never be able to confirm or rule that out with any degree of certainty," Hanson said.
Hanson said investigators believe Bardin died at least four to five days prior to his body’s discovery.
The identification was facilitated through a dental examination made by a forensic odontologist. Cause of death was determined through scene investigation, scene processing, and a forensic examination of Bardin’s body conducted after its recovery.
Sublette County Sheriff Wayne "Bardy" Bardin, Garrett Bardin’s father, and Carol Richie, his mother, again expressed today their thanks for the efforts and support of the men and women of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office, Tip Top Search & Rescue, all the volunteers who participated in the search for their son, and the people of Sublette County.
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