UINTAH, Utah, May 1, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A dozen or more agencies were patrolling and searching the runoff-swollen Weber River Monday night for a woman reported in the water heard “yelling and screaming.”
Weber Fire District Deputy Assistant Chief David Reed gave an updated description of a possible victim, now believed to be a woman in her 20. An earlier account identified the victim as a juvenile said to be swept up by the river Monday about 5:30 p.m.
Numerous 911 calls in a five-minute period said the woman was seen in the rushing river in the Uintah area near the mouth of Weber Canyon, Reed said. “That’s very alarming.”
In addition to fire department emergency responders from most every nearby town, he said two drones were in the air searching the Weber River as well as multiple search and rescue teams.
From the mouth of the canyon, the river runs some 20 miles to its confluence with the Ogden River near the town of Marriott-Slaterville at Ogden’s western edge. From there it’s 12 miles to the Great Salt Lake. Searchers are stationed all along the river, Reed said.
The search will continue after dark, the drones equipped with infrared technology, Reed said. “It’s not easy to quit…. We don’t give up yet.” The river is currently “cold, fast and dangerous,” Reed said.
“It’s big water, very dangerous.”
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