Father and Daughter Vanished on Mount Hooker — 11 Years Later, a Discovery Changed Everything

Sometimes, the mountain doesn’t take lives with violence or noise. It just swallows them whole, leaving behind silence, emptiness, and questions that echo for years. For 11 years, the disappearance of Colin and Riley Beckwith remained one of Wyoming’s most haunting mysteries — until a discovery on Mount Hooker in 2024 finally began to answer the questions that had tormented friends, family, and climbers alike.

The Vanishing: August 2013

On a late August morning in 2013, Colin Redford Beckwith, a 45-year-old structural engineer, and his 19-year-old daughter Riley said their goodbyes at home, loaded up their dark green Ford F-150, and drove toward the Wind River Range in western Wyoming. Their destination: Mount Hooker, a monolithic granite peak known for brutal weather, steep vertical faces, and technical climbing routes that test even the most seasoned climbers.

Colin wasn’t your typical thrill-seeker. He had climbed Mount Hooker before, and each ascent he undertook was meticulously planned, mapped, and documented. Safety and precision were his obsession. Bringing Riley along on this expedition, however, made it special. For 19-year-old Riley, an adventurous and bold climber, this trip was meant to be a bonding experience — one final summer adventure before returning to college.

Before departure, Colin set a specific check-in schedule with his wife, Heather: 7:00 p.m. sharp, two days later. If she didn’t hear from them, it would signal trouble. But as the day came and went, no call came. Heather’s worry grew, first assuming a dead satellite phone or delayed reception, then escalating to panic. On the second day, she contacted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, initiating the search that would soon engulf the wilderness.

The First Search

Deputy Miles Corbin arrived at the Big Sandy trailhead to find Colin and Riley’s truck parked as if they would return any minute. Inside, he discovered something deeply troubling: two fully charged satellite phones, left behind in the glove compartment. For a meticulous planner like Colin, this was no small oversight. It implied either intentional abandonment or an unforeseen catastrophe.

The missing person report quickly escalated to a full-scale emergency. Search and rescue teams, volunteers, and helicopters scoured Mount Hooker for ten days. Despite their efforts, nothing surfaced — no gear, no trail, no sign of Colin or Riley. Then, an early season storm struck, blanketing the high terrain in snow and ice, forcing search teams to retreat. In that harsh, unforgiving environment, hope began to dim.

Colin’s old climbing partner, Declan Hayes, and a group of elite climbers attempted to retrace routes less known to the public, hoping to find clues where the official teams had not ventured. But even their focused search yielded nothing. Slowly, the case went cold. Years passed. Heather preserved Riley’s room untouched, Colin’s workshop collected dust, and the two satellite phones sat in evidence boxes, their batteries long dead.

In 2016, a backpacker found a climbing nut wedged in a remote creek. While it matched Colin’s preferred gear, it lacked serial numbers or unique identifiers, and the lead went nowhere. In 2020, a dark online rumor suggested financial troubles may have caused Colin to intentionally vanish, possibly harming Riley in the process. Investigators, however, found no evidence of fraud, desperation, or escape planning. Still, the shadow of suspicion haunted the family.

Eleven Years Later: The Discovery

The breakthrough came in 2024, not from authorities but from two elite climbers, Ava Monroe and Liam Bishop. Known for tackling vertical routes no one else dared, their goal was a fresh ascent on Mount Hooker’s unexplored faces. They were not searching for the Beckwiths; their climb was purely for challenge and discovery.

Days into their climb, Ava noticed something odd: a rusted bolt drilled into granite. More bolts appeared as they ascended, forming a traverse that led to a shadowed alcove. Suspended thousands of feet above the ground, a weathered hanging setup emerged: a sleeping bag, coiled rope, a dry bag — and inside, a human skull. Ava froze, her heart racing. Had they stumbled upon the missing Beckwiths after 11 years?

Photos and coordinates were carefully documented. Authorities moved swiftly, deploying a specialized rescue team to the cliff face. Within 24 hours, forensic teams confirmed the remains belonged to Colin Redford Beckwith. His field journal, partially preserved by altitude, cold, and exposure, revealed his meticulous record of the climb and his final entries.

But Riley was nowhere to be found. Her absence sparked new questions: had she survived the climb, escaped, or fallen during her descent?

The Journals Speak

Colin’s journal chronicled every step: the storm that moved in unexpectedly, the treacherous southern bypass route, and Riley’s courage as they navigated ice and exposure. His last entry, dated August 24, 2013, shocked all who read it:

“Riley left this morning. Said she’d go for help. I stayed. My knee can’t move. The cliff decision. That single line.”

The final clue suggested Riley had departed the ledge alone, possibly surviving the initial descent. A renewed search focused along the southern bypass, a treacherous route of narrow ledges, vertical scrambles, and hidden crevices previously overlooked in 2013.

Within days, a ranger found a rusted titanium bracelet engraved with both Colin and Riley’s names — a tangible link to their journey. The search narrowed to a narrow chute, barely visible, where fragments of red nylon from Riley’s jacket were caught on jagged rocks. Six hours of careful excavation revealed skeletal remains partially protected beneath a fallen granite slab. Next to them lay a small pack, containing a compass, two energy bars, and a notebook: Riley’s journal.

Riley’s handwriting mirrored her father’s meticulous notes initially, but after August 24, her entries became desperate, jagged, and haunting:

“Dad’s not doing well. His knee is worse. I’m scared to leave him… Evening, no trail. Wind is howling. I can’t see anything. Water’s low. I miss home… I saw the lake. I was close… I think my ankle is broken… Tell them we tried. Tell them I didn’t run. I wanted to live.”

Medical examiners concluded Riley had likely succumbed to hypothermia three to four days after leaving her father, navigating nearly 200 feet of treacherous cliffs without rope or food, and with a broken ankle. She had come within mere meters of the trail. Her bravery, endurance, and determination left an indelible mark on all who learned her story.

Public Reaction and Legacy

The mountaineering community mourned the loss of Colin and Riley Beckwith, but admiration for Riley’s courage and resolve spread globally. Their journals became a testament to human strength, familial love, and endurance against insurmountable odds. Memorial exhibits in Lander, Wyoming displayed their final words, inspiring young climbers and outdoor enthusiasts.

A plaque near Mount Hooker’s trailhead now honors the Beckwiths, and the Ledge Project, a nonprofit in Riley’s name, provides mentorship and gear for girls entering outdoor sports. Heather Beckwith serves on its board, finding peace in the knowledge that her husband and daughter did not perish due to recklessness but because the mountain is unforgiving — and because they stayed together until the end.

What Search Teams Missed

When authorities reviewed the final location of the Beckwith cliff setup, they were stunned. It lay less than 900 feet from an originally searched zone. The oversight was explained by three factors: assumptions about traditional climbing routes, weather interference, and human error. In 2013, search crews had focused on the eastern approach to Mount Hooker, the most commonly used path. Colin and Riley, however, had chosen the southern traverse, a lesser-known route documented only in theory from vintage climbing guides.

Unexpected storms, fog, and snow had obscured the ledge, making it invisible from the air and ground. Even minor evidence, such as the nut found in 2016, was dismissed at the time but retrospectively marked the edge of Riley’s descent. The eventual discovery in 2024 was facilitated by climbers who, unlike search teams, ascended slowly and methodically along unknown routes — echoing Colin’s own climbing mindset.

Rewriting the System

Following the Beckwith case closure, Wyoming’s backcountry search and rescue protocols underwent major revisions. Search grids were expanded to include speculative and off-map routes, AI-based mapping systems analyzed journal entries, GPS =”, and social media to predict exploratory risk paths, and all unmarked cliff faces in open cases were flagged for review. The state publicly apologized to Heather Beckwith, who requested systemic change rather than blame.

A Lasting Message

In the summer of 2025, Ava Monroe and Liam Bishop returned to the route where they discovered Colin and Riley’s final setup. This time, their climb was a tribute. Near the ledge, a faint inscription appeared on the granite: “We stayed together.” It was a message carved by Riley, a parting note to the world in case they were never found. Simple, plain, and profoundly moving, it encapsulated the bond between father and daughter until their final moments.

Colin and Riley Beckwith’s story is not just about loss. It is about endurance, courage, and the human spirit confronting nature’s unforgiving extremes. Their journals, their legacy, and the lessons they left behind continue to inspire climbers and adventurers worldwide. Mount Hooker, long feared for its hazards, now stands as a monument to their bravery and a reminder of the delicate balance between preparation, love, and the unpredictable power of the wilderness.

Heather Beckwith, reflecting on her family’s journey, said, “They didn’t die because they were reckless. They died because they were human, and the mountain is unforgiving. But they didn’t go out alone, and they never gave up.”

In remembering Colin and Riley, the world honors not just their climb but the bond, courage, and resilience that carried them to the very end. Their story remains etched in stone, journals, and hearts — a testament to the unbreakable spirit of a father and daughter who faced the mountain together.