Search Continues for Missing Oklahoman in Yellowstone National Park

Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Rangers and investigators in Wyoming are still searching for a missing Oklahoma City man in Yellowstone National Park.

A rental car belonging to Peter Louis Kastner, 25, Oklahoma City, was discovered at the Hellroaring Trailhead in the north central section of Yellowstone National Park last week.

Authorities learned the car had been rented a month earlier and was two weeks overdue. Family members said they had not been in touch with Kastner in recent weeks, and reported him missing.

Kastner is described as 6 foot 1 inch tall; 185 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Family members said he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving for four years. During his service, he was injured twice by Improvised Explosive Devices while serving in Iraq. He had moved to Oklahoma City from the Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota, area to attend college.

His family is concerned about his mental state, and said he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome related to his injuries.

A series of searches by ground teams and dog teams have failed to turn up any clues to his whereabouts, as has a call for the public to report any sightings of Kastner in the area prior to Monday morning.

Investigators still believe he is in the park.   Cloudy, rainy weather, a low ceiling, and a lack of a focused search area has led searchers to focus efforts on the ground rather than utilizing helicopters or fixed wing aircraft.

There is a chance Kastner is no longer in Yellowstone. Investigators in the area are asking anyone who may have seen or been in contact with Kastner in recent weeks to call Yellowstone National Park at 307-344-7381.