It is never too late to find answers. After missing for over a year, searchers believe they may have finally discovered the body of missing kayaker Wesley Dopkins. The body was discovered 420 feet deep in Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Now experts are racing to prove that it belongs to the late missing kayaker.
How Wesley Dopkins Went Missing
Wesley Dopkins went missing back in June of 2024. The 43-year-old was last seen kayaking on Jackson Lake on June 15, 2024, according to the Associated Press. The nonprofit organization, Bruce's Legacy, shared details about the day the kayaker went missing. They shared that Dopkins and a companion had ventured out that day. They planned to "paddle three miles across the lake to view Waterfalls Canyon on the west shore." Unfortunately, the weather was against them. Despite the morning starting calm, winds began to pick up in the afternoon, reaching up to 25 miles per hour.
Those intense winds caused the water to shift, creating six-foot waves that churned the lake's surface. During this disastrous weather, Dopkins was separated from his companion and was never seen again. Before separating, Dopkins offered his companion the one and only flotation device, arguing that he was the stronger kayaker, so he didn't need it as much. Begrudgingly, his friend accepted the generous gift and fought the weather all the way back to shore. Upon arriving, he called in his friend, who was now missing.
Six hours later, searchers located Dopkins' belongings, including his folding kayak and a dry bag. Unfortunatley, the kayaker was nowhere to be found.
Body Discovered 420 Feet Deep In Jackson Lake Believed To Be Missing Kayaker From 2024
Despite various efforts, the search teams were unable to locate the missing kayaker. Cowboy State Daily shares that "Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) chief advisor Cody Lockhart shared that his organization had deployed a helicopter to search for the kayaker shortly after he was reported missing." However, they did not have sonar equipment, so they were unable to see beneath the lake's surface. Luckily, Bruce's Legacy does have the sonar equipment. Although their search efforts were also unsuccessful last fall, this year they stumbled upon something.
At a depth of 420 feet in Jackson Lake, the nonprofit organization firmly believes it has discovered the body of the missing kayaker. They wrote, "Then, late on Sunday, September 7, 2025, on the fourth day of the trip, we came across a sonar image that gave us confidence it was Wesley." The National Park Service agreed that while nothing has been confirmed, "based on the characteristics of the remains and the location where they were recovered' they are believed to belong to Wesley Dopkins. The day after the remains were located, the nonprofit organization and park rangers worked together to retrieve the body from the lake.
Now all that remains is to prove that the body discovered in the lake does, in fact, belong to the missing kayaker.
