Family rejoices after lost sisters found: “Losing all your kids at once is not easy”
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JACKSON, WY – Three Wisconsin sisters, missing in the Wyoming wilderness for more than a week, have been reunited with their father and mother after a helicopter spotted the trio during a search Thursday morning.
Megan, 25, Erin, 22, and Kelsi Andrews-Sharer, 16, were located between Horse Creek and Little Horse Creek in the Gros Ventre Wilderness approximately 30 miles south of Jackson.
“I was relieved,” Eric Andrews-Sharer, the women’s father, said choking back tears. “I started to cry like you would as a parent. Losing all your kids at once is not an easy thing.”
Andrews-Sharer said his daughters are in good spirits, good health, a little hungry and “kind of smelly too.”
The Andrews-Sharer sisters were found about seven miles from where their car was discovered Wednesday at the Swift Creek trailhead on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Thursday morning the Teton County Sheriff’s Office received a tip and GPS coordinates from a guide who saw a person Wednesday wearing a white rain jacket in an area with no trails.
“A helicopter doing an aerial searches flew the area matching the coordinates that he had been given,” Lori Iverson, the incident information officer, said. “The searchers were able to see the girls, land, and then make contact with them. They simply got lost.”
Around 100 people helped in the search for the women. Crews said the hikers likely survived because they were experienced and had the necessary gear.
“They have very good backcountry skills,” Andrews-Sharer said. “They had a good plan and just like anything people can get turned around. It’s a big wilderness.”
The Andrews-Sharer family is now reunited and will be returning home. They want to thank everyone who helped in the search and prayed for the safe return of Megan, Erin, and Kelsi.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the local sheriff’s department here,” Andrews-Sharer said. “I just can’t thank everybody enough.”