OREM, Utah — The Utah County's Sheriff's Office is thanking the public for their help in identifying human remains that were found in October, 2021 near the shores of Utah Lake outside of Orem.
@UCSO Detectives are trying to positively identify human remains found near the shore of Utah Lake last October. Identification was found with the remains but we haven’t been able to find family or positively ID the remains as those of the man in the ID. https://t.co/F3RPoe4wW8 pic.twitter.com/xMwG1rXc4e
— Utah County Sheriff (@UCSO) January 6, 2022
An invasive grass hid the bones for many years, according to investigators, who said the remains had possibly been laying there since the late 1990s. The condition of the clothing confirmed that the body had been there for several years.
Medical examiners have been unable to make a positive identification based on the condition of the remains.
Some of the bones were broken and the clothing was torn apart, but they believe this could have been caused by efforts to clear the area of vegetation.
A Utah identification card found near the body has the name John Everett Booth, who, if alive today, would be 75 years old. Booth was booked into jail in 1995, but the identification card shows an issue date of 1999.
In an update Thursday night, the Utah County Sheriff's Office reported they had located relatives of John Everett Booth and will work with the medical examiner to determine if the remains did indeed belong to him. It's a process they expect will take several months.
