Climber finds human remains in Utah canyon — and officials need help identifying them
A climber stumbled upon skeletal human remains in a Utah canyon, and investigators haven’t been able to positively identify them.
The climber gave a report to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 26, saying he found the remains in “very steep terrain” in a canyon known as Springville Rock Canyon, the agency said in a news release.
“Investigators responded and found what appeared to be skeletonized remains,” officers said.
The medical examiner confirmed the remains are human, and local law enforcement agencies don’t believe they are connected to any missing person cases, the agency said.
“These remains do not appear to be recent, but they also do not appear to be historic,” the agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Investigators know “very little” about the remains and are seeking the public’s help to hopefully identify them.
Evidence in the area where they were found suggests people go there for recreation or fun despite the “extremely challenging terrain,” agency spokesperson Sgt. Spencer Cannon told McClatchy News in an email.
A map shows the area nestled into a canyon just north of a Springville subdivision. Springville is about a 50-mile drive southeast of Salt Lake City.
“This was basically behind my house…crazy,” someone said in the comments on the X post.
“I sure hope some family is about to get some long awaited answers,” someone else said.
Anyone with information that might help identify the remains can call the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau and ask to speak to Detective Fuell or leave a voicemail for him at 801-851-4010, the agency said.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Climber finds human remains in Utah canyon — and officials need help identifying them."
