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One year after a Wyoming college professor mysteriously vanished after leaving for a bike ride in the mountains, local police are still searching. And survival experts wonder what led an experienced outdoorsman to disappear into the wilderness.
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Authorities are still searching for 39-year-old Nash Quinn after he disappeared while mountain biking in Albany County, Wyoming.
Quinn, a visiting professor of jewelry and metalsmithing at the University of Wyoming, was last heard from July 8, 2024, and is believed to have left for a bike ride sometime before July 21.
While his last-known location remains unknown, Quinn typically frequented three popular areas while riding — Happy Jack, Roger’s Canyon and Sheep Mountain — according to police.
MISSING HIKERS IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK FOUND ALIVE AFTER 2-DAY SEARCH
Nash Quinn, a visiting professor of jewelry and metalsmithing at the University of Wyoming, was last heard from July 8, 2024.(The Laramie Police Department)
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The Laramie Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Despite efforts to locate Quinn, he has yet to be found nearly one year later.
The mystery surrounding Quinn’s disappearance raises questions about how a seemingly healthy and experienced biker could have fallen victim to Wyoming’s wilderness.
BASE JUMPER DIES AFTER 500-FOOT FALL AT GRAND CANYON
Nash Quinn disappeared after leaving for a bike ride in the Wyoming mountains in July 2024.(The Laramie Police Department)
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“It’s a very brutal environment,” Jason Marsteiner, founder of The Survival University in Colorado, told Fox News Digital. “You have to have some respect for your surroundings, wherever you are. So, in a nutshell, the core survival skills you need to learn are communication, fire, shelter, water and food.”
Quinn, an avid outdoorsman, would often leave for bike rides without bringing much gear and prided himself on being a minimalist while enjoying the elements, according to Cowboy State Daily.
After Quinn went missing, his cellphone, wallet and car keys were reportedly discovered inside his apartment. Quinn would also leave for short rides without bringing water, his friends told the local outlet.
HIKER’S DEATH IN UTAH SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR SAFETY PROTOCOLS ON THE TRAIL
Quinn disappeared in one of Wyoming’s peak summer months, when the days can reach high temperatures but dip into cooler weather after the sun goes down. The wide range could have posed a significant risk to Quinn, potentially resulting in hypothermia if he was not properly shielded from the elements overnight.
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“Quinn’s a minimalist,” Marsteiner said. “He just takes his bike out. That’s a common thing. A lot of people do that. They don’t think anything of it. But the temperatures at night can drop, even in July, to [around] 45 degrees, and it’s potentially a rainy season.
Authorities say Nash Quinn’s white bicycle is also missing nearly one year after he disappeared while on a bike ride in Wyoming.(The Laramie Police Department)
“If you get stuck out there, and you don’t have anything, hypothermia is a very real thing. And your body shuts down pretty fast with hypothermia.”
After Quinn’s disappearance, police said his white mountain bike also had not been found, a key detail that could have led authorities to finding him if it had been a more vibrant color.
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“He has a white bike [with] black tires,” Marsteiner told Fox News Digital. “It blends in easily.”
For weeks, authorities searched nearly 70,000 acres for Quinn on foot, bike and horseback, while using drones and helicopters. But even with aerial searches, Marsteiner warns, it can be hard to spot someone who is stationary.
“When they’re flying over top and looking down, they can see movement really well,” Marsteiner said. “If he’s just laying there, and his bike is just laying here, and it’s wedged underneath a rock or a bush, they’re not going to see him.”
The search for Quinn was taken over by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, but investigators reportedly have since reduced search efforts and are only following up on leads.
“The case remains open until we get any other new information or some other reason to close it,” Sheriff Aaron Appelhans told Cowboy State Daily. ” We don’t have any information to pinpoint a search area.”
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The Albany County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
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Nearly one year after Quinn’s disappearance, the Laramie Police Department is asking for anyone visiting the mountains to continue looking for Quinn, and experts implore those who are in the wilderness to take the steps to protect themselves.
“This all comes from the heart,” Marsteiner said. “I really hope that this is a learning experience. Unfortunately, I really feel like Nash has perished, and I feel for his family. If we can save one more life by talking about what happened with Nash here, then it’s all worth it.”
CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.
The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.
While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.
According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.
Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.
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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.
The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.
Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.
According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.
MORE | Shootings
Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.
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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.
Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.
The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming (KUTV) — A man was hospitalized with critical injuries after he was reportedly shot by a deputy responding to reports of a disturbance.
Deputies with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in the 2100 block of Century Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Monday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving an armed individual.
Information that dispatch received indicated that the individual had shot himself. When officials arrived, they found the individual on the balcony of an upstairs apartment “who appeared to have a gunshot wound consistent with the initial report,” a press release states.
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During the encounter, a deputy discharged their weapon and struck the individual.
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Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, and the individual was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
No law enforcement officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation.
The deputy who fired their weapon was placed on administrative leave per standard protocol.
