SEVIER COUNTY, Utah — Officials have confirmed that a dismembered foot found by a hiker and his dog in May by the shore of a lake belonged to a man who went missing almost 28 years ago.
The Sevier County Sheriff's Office said the foot was found inside a shoe on the edge of Fish Lake on May 16. A man was walking his dog when the dog picked up a shoe, which ended up having the skeletal remains of a foot inside it.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's office announced that the foot belonged to David White.
White went missing in September 1997. He was from Washington City, Utah, and was going on a fishing trip with friends. Their plans fell through, so he went fishing on the lake by himself. His boat was later found trolling across the lake, and a shoe and hat were found floating nearby. Crews searched the water for five days, but found no further sign of White.
After the bones were found in May, the Utah Medical Examiner's Office sent DNA to a forensics company to compare it to one of White's daughters' DNA. The result: 99.9994 percent certainty that the samples were a parent-child.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, SAR’s, Detective Sgt Pearson, Detective Sgt Larsen, Sheriff Curtis, and Gary (Moulton) from Fishlake Lodge for their incredible support and tireless efforts," Stefanie Bennett, White's daughter, said in a statement. "We are also deeply grateful to the individual and his dog who found the shoe – without them, we would not be where we are today.”
“This case has been on the mind of every one of the SAR members who were involved in the search 28 years ago. It is good to finally have some closure for the family and the searchers,” Sheriff Nathan J. Curtis said, also thanking all the agencies and individuals involved in the searches over the years and the latest discovery.
