DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 1, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A car associated with a man reported missing in 2004 has been recovered from Starvation Reservoir, in Duchesne County.
Human remains were found inside the vehicle.
The longtime cold case involved the disappearance of Steven Willard Anderson.
“On Sept. 29, 2024 (Sunday) His case has been an open ongoing investigation for several years,” a Salt Lake County Sheriff news release says.
In 2022, Doug Bishop, with the United Search Corps, and Dave Sparks, with Sparks Motors, had been investigating. In April of this year, they met and collaborated on the case with Ben Pender from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
“On Sept. 29, 2024 (Sunday), Bishop located a submerged vehicle at a depth of approximately 50 feet in Starvation Reservoir. The vehicle was later confirmed to be connected to Anderson’s case.
“On Sept. 30, a collaborative recovery effort involving the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, United Search Corps, Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, Sparks Heavy Rescue, Atlas Towing and the Utah Department of Natural Resources successfully retrieved the vehicle.”
“Though identification of remains is still pending, detectives are working diligently to confirm the identity.
“This was a complex recovery operation that required immense expertise to locate and recover this newly found evidence. This discovery would not be possible without the combined efforts of multiple agencies. Our gratitude goes out to all the agencies involved.
