The mystery that haunted the Sheridan County community for more than seven years has reached a painful resolution: human remains discovered in Park County, Wyoming, have been confirmed via DNA testing to belong to Kyle Ellis, who vanished in early 2018. The news, released in October 2025, finally offers some measure of closure for his family and friends.
Ellis was last seen on January 8, 2018, at the Bear Lodge Resort nestled in the Bighorn Mountains. On that day, after a conversation with his father over the phone, it’s believed a well-meaning stranger gave him a ride to Greybull. In years past, he was known to embark on religious journeys—often on foot for weeks at a time—but always stayed in touch through Facebook. His extended silence after that January day triggered mounting concern.
The trail went cold until August 2025, when authorities in Park County stumbled upon human remains on public land west of Cody. The Park County Sheriff’s Office reached out to Sheridan County investigators, suspecting a possible connection to Ellis’s disappearance. The remains were carefully transferred to the Wyoming State Crime Lab, where a matching DNA sample—with help from Ellis’s parents—sealed the identification. That confirmation arrived on October 16, 2025.
While the painful truth is now known, the circumstances of his death remain shadowed in uncertainty. Official statements from Sheridan County say there’s no current evidence of foul play, and that exposure to the elements may have been the cause. Sheriff Levi Dominguez expressed hope that the confirmation would bring solace: “Kyle’s family has been nothing but supportive and patient,” he said, “and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this time.”
For years, Ellis’s mother clung to belief that he would be found alive. In earlier interviews, she painted a portrait of a complex soul—intelligent, deeply religious, and increasingly pulled by mental health struggles. She has spoken of giving him pre-addressed stamped envelopes before he disappeared—if he ever decided to leave for good, she asked he at least send word. In that same telling, the woman who gave him a ride on January 8 said he “didn’t talk much” during the trip. Where he went after he was dropped off remains a haunting question.
Because Ellis carried no electronics, identification, or traceable financial assets, his trail went cold almost before it began. In later years, his case was presented repeatedly to Wyoming’s cold-case and missing-person units, in hopes of refreshing leads. In the end, it was a chance discovery far from Sheridan that unraveled the mystery.
The confirmation of those remains doesn’t erase the sorrow, but it does mark the end of years of painful uncertainty. Ellis’s story is one of absence, endurance, faith, and the relentless hope of a family that refused to let him slip quietly into memory. With this announcement, that hope finally yields to a bittersweet peace.
