UTAH COUNTY, Utah, March 17, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A body found near the mouth of American Fork Canyon has been positively identified as missing hiker Bobby Healey, 28, of Saratoga Springs.
“The body recovered yesterday from the mountain near the mouth of American Fork Canyon was, as expected, confirmed today to be that of Robert ‘Bobby’ Healey,” said a statement from Utah County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon, public information officer for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, previously said the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner would need to positively confirm the identity of the body, but it was thought to be Healey.
Cannon said the victim appears to have fallen in rugged terrain.
“He had upper body trauma to his head and arms,” Cannon told Gephardt Daily. “It was consistent with falling from a significant height, and he was found under vertical cliffs.”
There was nothing on the scene to suggest the fall was anything other than an accident, he said.
Cannon said a fixed-wing search plane pilot reported seeing footprints in the snow, but it was a Department of Public Safety helicopter that was really able to home in on the body’s location.
“Without that, we would still be searching now, and possibly into the night.”
Cannon estimated the body was found about a mile from the parking lot, and at an elevation about 2,000 feet higher.
The body was found at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, he said, after about six hours of searching Monday evening, which resumed at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The DPS helicopter lowered a crew member to the scene, and the body was secured and hoisted out. The body was then transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Family members of Healey had described him as an avid hiker, who reportedly took enough supplies for only a short hike.
Cannon said the fact that Healey had told his employer the area where he intended to hike, and the fact that officials were able to locate the victim’s’ car and ping his phone nearby all helped in the relatively fast recovery.
