Robert “Bob” Lowery, 46, a white man, disappeared while traveling alone in the Jackson Hole area, and the worry that followed was the kind that grows louder with every unanswered call. By early September 2021, the Teton County Sheriff's Office was publicly asking for help locating him, describing when he was last seen and what he was believed to be wearing as the search widened beyond family and friends to the local community.
Investigators and searchers worked on tips as they came in, but the case broke open only after the area was flooded with national attention for an unrelated disappearance. Teton County Search & Rescue later said that publicity brought in new information from the public that helped narrow where Lowery was last seen—placing him on the Black Canyon Trail area near Teton Pass, along with details like a black cap with a gold “P” and a Nike-logo duffle bag.
On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, search teams moved in on the steep, timbered terrain surrounding Black Canyon. About 25 volunteers and multiple dog teams split into smaller groups and combed the thick woods; after roughly four hours, a dog team located a body and the duffle bag significantly off-trail on a steep, wooded slope. Recovering him was its own arduous task on the mountainside, and Search & Rescue described the effort in stark numbers—miles hiked and elevation gained—before the quiet finality of turning the scene over to the next phase of the investigation.
In the days that followed, the coroner's findings gave the family the answer they feared but needed. Public reporting, citing Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue, said Lowery died by suicide from a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was ruled a suicide.
Because the death was ruled a suicide, authorities did not publicly identify any suspect connected to Lowery's death, and no arrests or criminal charges were announced in relation to his case in the coverage describing the coroner's determination.
