IVINS, Utah, Oct. 11, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has identified a 36-year-old man found dead “under suspicious circumstances” Monday morning following an alleged burglary at an Ivins construction yard.
Detectives discovered the body of Lewis Russell, of Ivins, on the ground on Anasazi Road about a half-mile away from the construction yard, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Tuesday.
Russell’s body was found next to a red pickup truck that was stolen from the construction company, the release states.
Employees found the gate at the company’s front entrance “smashed through from the inside of the secured yard,” along with a “trail of oil” leading toward Old Highway 91.
“Employees called 911 to report the burglary and stolen vehicle. As deputies were responding to the scene, other employees had located the stolen truck near the pump house by the entrance onto Anasazi Road,” the release states.
Employees discovered Russell’s body on the ground next to the driver’s side door of the stolen truck, according to the news release.
Several other vehicles at the construction yard “had been rummaged through, but the truck found next to Russell’s body was the only one to have been stolen from the business,” the release states.
An investigator with the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner took custody of the man’s body. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives are continuing to investigate whether Russell had assistance with the burglary, the release states.
Russell was last seen by family members Oct. 6. The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information on Russell’s whereabouts over the weekend or who he may have been with to call 435-634-5730.
