Nicholas Jeffrey Mostert, a 20-year-old from the Salt Lake City, Utah area, was last seen in Yellowstone National Park on June 16, 2009. Witnesses reported that he jumped from an observation deck along the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone into the Yellowstone River. He was then swept over the 308-foot Lower Falls.
Following the incident, park officials initiated a search. Searchers in a park helicopter scoured the 20-mile-long canyon, which ranges from 800 to 1,200 feet deep.
While his body was not located, searchers rappelled to the bottom of the canyon and discovered some of his clothing in an eddy approximately a quarter-mile downstream from the base of the falls. At the time of the incident, the river's flow was substantial, with a gauge upstream recording nearly 6,000 cubic feet of water per second.
Mostert is presumed to have drowned, and his body has never been recovered. Park officials identified him and stated that the incident was being investigated as an apparent suicide. At the time of his disappearance, Mostert was planning to attend the University of Utah. He was described as a gifted writer and musician who enjoyed hiking, snowboarding, gardening, and reading. His family's obituary stated that he "chose to leave this earth".Last Seen: Jun 16, 2009
