The family of Jon Francis, missing climber, confirms that his remains were found Tuesday afternoon on the north face of Grand Mogul in the Sawtooth mountain range of Idaho.

Stanley, Idaho--Jon Francis climbed the Grand Mogul, a majestic mountain in the Sawtooth range of Idaho on July 15, 2006. He disappeared on the descent. Search efforts were begun by the Custer County Sheriff’s Office the day after Jon disappeared. Once the official efforts concluded, the family continued the search, enlisting the aid of a Search Manager, Jeff Hasse, President of Search, Rescue, and Recovery Resources of Minnesota. Search efforts were conducted from July 16, 2006 until they were suspended due to poor search conditions on October 22, 2006.

The search resumed June 15, 2007. Evidence developed by multiple Human Remains Detection dogs suggested that Jon’s remains were somewhere on the technical north face of the mountain. Due to their expertise in this severe terrain, the Sawtooth Mountain Guides were tasked to search the multiple gullies within the north face. On Tuesday afternoon at approximately 3:45, human remains were found in a gulley at 8,248 feet. Erik Leidecker, Managing Partner of Sawtooth Mountain Guides notified the family and the Custer County Sheriff’s Department shortly thereafter.

On Wednesday, July 25, 2007, the Custer County Search and Rescue, Sawtooth Search and Rescue, and Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue teams recovered Jon’s remains under the direction of Tim Eikens, Custer County Sheriff. The remains have been preliminarily identified as Jon Francis based on personal possessions found in the area.

The Francis family is extremely grateful for the support provided by the many individuals involved in the search and for the generous contributions received. "We have worked long and hard to find Jon and to bring him down from the mountain. After we lay Jon to rest, we can move on to the next phase of our mission by spreading our hard-earned lessons," says Jon's father. In fact, Jon's spirit will live on through the Jon Francis Foundation established in early 2007. “It is
not what you gather, but what you scatter” is a saying that describes Jon's essence. The Foundation will focus on its mission of providing resources to families who are searching for lost loved ones and to educate climbers and hikers about wilderness safety.