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Contact: Denise Germann, 406-888-5838 Contact: Jennifer Lutman, 406-888-7895
WEST GLACIER, MT. - Search teams looking for missing hiker Jakson Kreiser are adjusting their strategy today due to some unsafe conditions within the search area. The area received approximately .34 inch of rain Thursday night creating very slick conditions on the steep and rocky terrain. Incident Commander Scott Emmerich said, "We have two goals with this incident, 1) find Mr. Kreiser, and 2) keep all our search personnel safe." He said the plan for today is being adjusted to keep searchers out of the wet and slick conditions and focus in other areas that may be less hazardous for search personnel. Searchers are following up on information received by a hiker who was hiking on the Hidden Lake Trail over the weekend. Today's search operations will be in the Hidden Lake and Mary Baker Lake areas, and aerial observations, as conditions allow. The search for Kreiser, a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge, began Sunday, July 29. Kreiser was reported missing when he failed to return following a hike on Saturday, July 28. The search area has been focused in the area between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, specifically in the Floral Park area. This area includes some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, water falls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. Kreiser is from Michigan. This is his first year working in the area. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall with black, short and curly hair, and a black beard. It is believed he is wearing a yellow/gold sweatshirt and grey colored khaki pants, and carrying a grey and yellow backpack. A park incident management team has been organized and is managing the incident. North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff's Office and the US Border Patrol are assisting the National Park Service with search operations. Anyone that may have been in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas over the weekend and may have seen Kreiser, is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800. -NPS- |
Last updated: February 24, 2015