KANE COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 15, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials said Wednesday afternoon the body of a man has been located at the end of Deertrap Mountain Trail in Zion National Park.
According to a news release from the National Park Service, officials said the clothing and backpack match that of Maurice “Moe” Harris, 47, who was last seen hiking the East Rim Monday afternoon.
An earlier news release said a friend dropped off Harris at the East Rim Trailhead about 4 p.m. Monday. Harris failed to meet with the friend at the Weeping Rock shuttle stop at approximately 10 p.m. that evening as planned and was reported missing.
A hasty search of the East Rim Trail and Cable Mountain were completed by park Search and Rescue on Tuesday followed by a helicopter search with the help of Grand Canyon National Park. Overnight, the Utah Department of Public Safety flew the area looking for heat signatures and Kane County Search and Rescue searched roads and two-tracks on Zion’s east boundary. No sign of the visitor was found.
Wednesday morning, a methodical search began with six teams, including responders from Kane and Washington Counties and several K-9 units, which led to the location of the body.
“This is an extremely sad event,” park superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said. “Our thoughts go out to Mr. Harris’ family and friends.”
