TOOELE COUNTY, June 30, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — An investigation is continuing into the discovery of a body alone on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
The deceased 65-year-old male was found after a near four-hour search Friday, spotted by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter.
The man’s family had reported him missing to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office at 9 a.m., calling from California, Sheriff’s Sgt. David Bleazard said Saturday. The body was located by 12:30 p.m.
Tourists typically park their vehicles in lots and turn-offs before hiking the flats, he said. The man’s body was found a matter of miles from where he left his vehicle. “The gentleman was found deceased on the salt, and by himself.”
The salt flats are muddy in some areas from recent rains, he said, but not where the man was found. “Our officers had no trouble driving to the scene.” The Bonneville Salt Flats encompass a 12-by-5-mile stretch of about 300,000 acres in Utah’s west desert, and hosts Speed Week in August for vehicle trials.
Bleazard said since an investigation is ongoing, no further details would be released, such as any identifying information, although there were no signs of foul play. “We’ll have more to say once the autopsy results are in.”
