KANE COUNTY, Utah, Dec. 19, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Authorities said Monday human remains found near Lake Powell on Sunday may belong to a missing Arizona man.
According to a news release from Kane County Sheriff’s Office, police dispatch received a call at about 10:30 a.m. from a person who had found what appeared to be human skeletal remains while hiking in an area southwest of U.S. 89, less than a mile north of the Utah state line.
Kane County deputies, detectives, and a medical investigator responded to the location, the news release said.
The investigation team located numerous bones, and several items of clothing scattered for about 150 yards believed to have belonged to the deceased person. A driver license and credit card belonging to Michael Theo Schimmel, from Page, Ariz., were found near the clothing. It is possible the remains have been in the area for two years or more.
The remains and clothing were collected and transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office in Salt Lake City for identification and to attempt to determine the cause of death.
Investigators are continuing to collect evidence and following up on leads in Page and the surrounding area. Dental records have been sent to the medical examiner to aid in attempts to verify whether the remains belong to Schimmel.
Anyone who may have known Schimmel or who may have information that could help in the ongoing investigation is encouraged to call the Kane County Sheriff’s Office at 435-644-4916 or 435-644-2349.
