Nicholas Jeffrey Mostert, 20, was last seen in Yellowstone National Park on June 16, 2009. Witnesses reported he jumped from an observation deck along the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone into the Yellowstone River and was swept over the 308-foot Lower Falls. Park search teams scoured the roughly 20-mile canyon by helicopter and on foot; searchers rappelled to the canyon bottom and found some of his clothing in an eddy about a quarter-mile downstream from the base of the falls, but his body was never recovered.

At the time the river’s flow was substantial, with an upstream gauge recording nearly 6,000 cubic feet per second. Park officials identified Mostert and said the incident was being investigated as an apparent suicide; he is presumed to have drowned. He had been planning to attend the University of Utah and was described as a gifted writer and musician who enjoyed hiking, snowboarding, gardening, and reading, and his family’s obituary said he chose to leave this earth.

If anyone remembers Nicholas at Yellowstone that day or has information about what led to his presence at the observation deck, please share what is known.