WAYNE COUNTY, Utah – Search and rescue crews were called Tuesday after a man who was hiking requested assistance, but by the time crews located the man, who was off of the trail, he was dead.
A group of hikers called officials for help after encountering another group of hikers who said they’d met a man around 1 p.m. Tuesday in Horseshoe Canyon who asked for food, water and for someone to take care of his dog.
According to a press release from Wayne County officials, the group of hikers who made the call did so after they found the man’s car and noticed he had not returned to the vehicle. They took the man’s dog from the car, tied him up outside and gave him food and water before leaving a note indicating they were going to go for help.
Personnel from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue along with a Bureau of Land Management ranger and a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter were dispatched to search for the man.
A BLM ranger located the man off of the trail at about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to the press release. The release stated that no water bottles were found in the area of the man and that the temperature that day was “well over 100 degrees. It appeared that this man was not prepared for extreme temperatures.”
The State Medical Examiner’s Office has taken possession of the body to determine the cause of death.
Officials later identified the deceased as 52-year-old David Ross Goodrich of Kansas City, Missouri.
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