Searchers Find Body of Missing Russian National & Summer Employee

Date: August 22, 2014
Contact: Public Affairs Office, 307.739.3393

Search teams from Grand Teton National Park and Teton County Search and Rescue found the body of Aleksandr "Sasha" Sagiev, 20, of Nizhny Novgorod Russia on Friday, August 22. Sagiev was located on Friday afternoon in Grand Teton National Park below a steep traverse, known locally as Cache Couloir, in Glacier Gulch. Sagiev was the subject of a three-day search effort conducted by Grand Teton National Park and Teton County.

Sagiev, a seasonal employee of Dornan's in Moose, Wyoming, was reported missing on the morning of Monday, August 18. He had not been seen by coworkers since Sunday afternoon, August 17, when he was at Dornan's Pizza &  Pasta Restaurant. With this initial information, officials focused their preliminary investigation and search efforts on areas in and around Moose. New information received on Thursday afternoon indicated that Sagiev may have started a hike from Taggart Lake trailhead around 9:00 a.m. Monday. With a break in the inclement weather, an aerial search was conducted Thursday afternoon over Taggart and Delta lakes; however, no sign of Sagiev was detected during that flight.

Approximately 60 searchers gathered on Friday morning, August 22, to explore areas where Sagiev may have hiked in the Tetons. For a second day, the weather was extremely rainy with dense clouds covering the Teton peaks.

Search teams found Sagiev's body at 1:25 p.m. in Glacier Gulch approximately 1/3 mile west of Delta Lake. Sagiev was declared dead at the scene by the searchers in consultation with Dr. Will Smith, the park's medical director. The circumstances of Sagiev's death are still under investigation.

Sagiev was wearing the metallic blue "Sochi" jacket described in missing person flyers distributed to the public, which helped in locating his body in the rocky terrain.

Sagiev's body was extricated from the area, at an elevation of nearly 9,400 feet, at 4:00 p.m. via helicopter long-line. The Teton County coroner transported Sagiev to Jackson, Wyoming shortly thereafter.