KANE COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 26, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The body of a deer hunter reported missing by family members was found at the bottom of a cliff in Kane County on Tuesday.
Police received a call about an overdue individual who had been deer hunting near Wahweap Wash, which is east of Grosvenor Arch off Cottonwood Canyon Road, at approximately 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, said Kane County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Alan Alldredge in a news release.
The family’s last contact with Ryan Shakespear, 42, from Cedar City, was around 6:30 p.m. Monday. “The family has a cabin in the area and had been in contact with Shakespear by radio,” said the news release. “Shakespear was familiar with the area, but the heavy rains, which had been occurring in the area, caused the family to be concerned about his well-being.”
When he had not returned by Tuesday morning, Kane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue began formulating a response plan. A helicopter from Classic Air Medical out of Page, Arizona, was contacted to assist with the search efforts. A search and rescue squad was dispatched out of Kanab with the equipment to search the roads and trails with four-wheel drive vehicles, hiking crews that could search on foot, and a rope rescue team if needed for a canyoneering-type rescue.
While en route to the area, the search crews were notified that a family member had located Shakespear. He was at the bottom of a cliff, and the family member was able to conclude that Shakespear was deceased. It appears he had lost his footing and had fallen approximately 150 feet.
The helicopter crew determined that they could land close to Shakespear’s body in the bottom of the canyon. They flew to Kanab and picked up the Kane County Sheriff’s Office medical investigator and transported him to the scene. After the investigation of the accident scene was completed, Shakespear’s body was transported by the helicopter to sheriff’s office personnel who were waiting at Grosvenor Arch. Shakespear was then transferred to the office of the Utah state medical examiner, who will determine the cause of death.
Shakespear leaves behind a wife and six children. He worked for the Bureau of Land Management in Cedar City.
