Kyle Jay Ellis was 29 years old when he was last seen on January 8, 2018, in the Greybull, Wyoming, area. NamUs listed him as a White/Caucasian male, about 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. His listed identifying features included multiple tattoos, including pinup-girl tattoos on both shoulders, the phrase “sex drugs rock n roll” on his abdomen, and a sleeved left forearm.
NamUs reported that Kyle had been at Bear Lodge in the Bighorn Mountains and spoke with his father by phone before receiving a ride from a woman to Greybull, where she also gave him $20. After that, he was not heard from again.
The case was treated for years as a missing-person investigation, with the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office listed as the investigating agency. Public summaries of the case described Kyle as someone who sometimes traveled on foot for extended “religious journeys,” but family members said he had previously stayed in contact during those trips, often through Facebook. That made the silence after January 2018 especially alarming for those who loved him. Reports also noted his connection to the Bighorn Mountains and the long distances he had walked in his life, details that later became painfully significant.
Kyle’s case has since been resolved. His remains were found in the summer of 2025 by a crew clearing vegetation on Bureau of Land Management property in Park County, west of Cody, Wyoming, a few miles north of U.S. Highway 14/16/20. Authorities later confirmed through DNA testing that the remains were Kyle’s. The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office announced the identification in October 2025, more than seven years after he disappeared.
Investigators said the location suggested Kyle may have walked into the area and built a makeshift shelter. Officials did not report evidence of foul play, and authorities believed he may have died from exposure during the bitter winter conditions around the time he disappeared, when temperatures were reportedly near zero degrees. Because the available public information is limited, the exact date he died is not entirely clear from the investigative summaries, though obituary information lists January 9, 2018.
Kyle is remembered by his family as much more than the circumstances of his disappearance. His obituary described him as a talented guitarist, a multi-sport athlete, a 2007 graduate of Sheridan High School, and someone who loved exploring the Bighorn Mountains and walking Sheridan’s paths. His family also wrote about his deep faith, his many journeys, and the comfort they found in knowing he had finally been located after years of uncertainty.Last Seen: Jan 8, 2018
