June 8, 2023 |
Photo – John Daily Hammond – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Carbon County Sheriff says authorities are close to identifying the remains found in the Pedro Mountains.
Last month, shed horn hunters reported finding skeletal human remains in the Pedro Mountains, north of Hanna. At the time, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken said his department was checking the remains against known missing persons reports.
The Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation’s missing persons website says 65-year-old John Daily Hammond disappeared in the area where the remains were found. Hammond, of Thermopolis, was last seen Nov. 5, 2021, between Seminoe and Pathfinder reservoirs.
During Tuesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Bakken said he is 75% sure the remains belong to Hammond.
The circumstances surrounding Hammond’s disappearance are unclear.
Georgeanne Hammond, the missing man’s sister, told the Cowboy State Daily that her brother disappeared during an overnight fishing trip with friends to the Miracle Mile. Georgeanne said Hammond’s friend told her that her brother had wandered off or gotten lost during the trip. The friend said he thought Hammond had left with others who were at the campsite. When his friend noticed Hammond was not with the other campers, the party returned to where he was last seen. The searchers were unable to find Hammond and his sister reported him missing several days later.
Hammond was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
