The heartbroken mother of an Irishman, who vanished from a mountain park in America a year ago, fears her son is dead.
Grainne McLaughlin’s son Cian, from Dublin, went missing from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming last year on June 8.
She yesterday revealed her worst fears for her boy – exactly one year after his disappearance was reported to police – while it emerged that an American woman lied to rescuers about Cian’s whereabouts.
Read more: Family of missing Cian McLaughlin accept search for him is 'recovery, not rescue'
They claim the lies cost more than 500 hours of vital lifesaving time in the search for Cian, 27, and Grainne now believes he is dead, fearing “something tragic happened”.
Recovery teams hope that the melting snow will help to find Cian’s body.
Grainne said: “From everybody’s point of view, we know that he went missing in the mountains, he went missing on this hike and something tragic happened.
“As the snow begins to melt, the rangers have continued to study the map and terrain and identify other search areas.
“There is still quite a lot of snow and we have high temperatures, which is melting the snow at a rapid rate, and it just makes the conditions on the ground very, very dangerous, especially in the higher areas.”
The mum arrived in Wyoming within days of Cian going missing and was told that the search would be a “recovery operation”. She said last year: “I went through a huge amount of grief at that time. This is not a rescue, it is a recovery.
“But I’d like to bring him home. I know he is up there somewhere.”
It has also emerged that Heather Mycoskie has been fined €16,500 for giving false information about having spotted Cian.
He went hiking on June 8 and didn’t go to work on June 10.
Colleagues reported him missing to Teton County Sheriff’s office on June 12 and the search got under way first thing on June 13.
It was announced on June 18 that rescue efforts were being scaled back.
On June 21, Mycoskie, provided the false information and authorities said yesterday she lied to ensure the search went on.
Mycoskie, 40, gave an address in the Wyoming town of Jackson. It is where Cian lived and worked as a barman in summer and as a snowboard instructor in winter as a dual Irish-US passport holder.
Grand Teton National Park spokesperson CJ Adams claimed “valuable time was wasted” by Mycoskie’s lies – but vowed to find Cian.
He added: “That individual is banned from Grand Teton National Park for a period of five years and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $17,600.
“The search will continue until we locate him.”
Read more: US woman fined thousands for lying to officials in search for missing Dublin hiker
Read more: Rescue teams searching for Cian McLaughlin have 'no idea' what route he took in national park
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