Remains found in submerged car in Utah belong to father missing for 20 years, cops say
Remains found in a car submerged 50 feet deep in a Utah reservoir belong to a father missing for 20 years, sheriff’s officials said.
Testing confirmed the remains belonged to Steven Willard Anderson, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 11 emailed news release.
Anderson vanished in 2004 on the way to Flaming Gorge, about a 200-mile drive east from Salt Lake City, to paint the family cabin, McClatchy News previously reported.
The case remained open for two decades and eventually caught the attention of Doug Bishop with the United Search Corps, a missing persons unit, and Dave Sparks with Sparks Motors, McClatchy News reported.
They began collaborating with detectives, and on Sept. 30 recovered Anderson’s leased car from the Starvation Reservoir, about a 100-mile drive southeast from Salt Lake City.
“Following DNA testing from a private lab, an examination at the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner has determined no foul play is suspected,” officials said in the release. “As a result, Anderson’s case will be officially closed.”
The department extended condolences to Anderson’s family and thanked the agencies “involved in the recovery process for their dedication and professionalism.”
His kids remembered him for his “giving attitude” and “constant presence” in their lives while they were growing up, The Salt Lake Tribune previously reported.
“I fought closure for 20 years,” his son Axel Anderson told the outlet. “Now I can be happy knowing that it’s done, it’s over.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Remains found in submerged car in Utah belong to father missing for 20 years, cops say."
