A 36-year-old Cody man who’d gone missing on April 5 was found deceased last week.

Shawn Ezekiel Hughes had last been seen at Yellowstone Regional Airport and his body was found Thursday inside a vehicle parked at the airport.

“The Cody Police Department extends its deepest condolences to Shawn’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Cody police said in a Thursday afternoon statement.

Hughes, who was from North Carolina, leaves behind a longtime partner and children, along with other family members and friends.

While an official cause of death remains pending, Park County Coroner Cody Gortmaker said Monday that there were no signs of foul play.

“There’s nothing suspicious,” Gortmaker said.

Police had been informed that Hughes might have been suffering from a mental health episode when he went missing.

Surveillance footage from the Cody airport had captured Hughes walking near the southeast end of the parking lot on the morning of Sunday, April 5. 

“He was on the far end of the view of the camera, making it difficult to see exactly where he was going at that particular time,” said Cody Police Lt. Juston Wead.

Officers walked through the airport lot soon after Hughes was reported as missing, but didn’t find him, Wead said. Police then tried various means of locating Hughes, including looking to see if there was any activity on his digital footprint.

After those efforts came up empty, Wead said the department made plans to fly a drone over some vacant areas around the airport. First, though, they re-reviewed the surveillance footage and decided to conduct a second search of the area where Hughes had last been seen. It was during that follow-up that they found his body. Wead said the tinted windows on the parked vehicle — which belonged to an airport customer — apparently contributed to the delayed discovery.

In Thursday’s statement, Cody police thanked everyone who shared information and helped in the search for Hughes.