UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 9, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A body has been recovered in Provo Canyon, and officials believe it may be that of a hiker who has been the subject of a search since he went missing a little more than three weeks ago.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon, spokesman for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, tweeted Tuesday that UCSO Search and Rescue, with assistance from the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter, recovered a body above Aspen Grove in Provo Canyon.
The tweet said officials are waiting for positive identification, “but it is believed to be Jake Routt, 36, missing from Orem since 9/16/18. Body was recovered near 9,000 feet elevation.”
Routt had set out to hike the back slopes of Mount Timpanogos, and was last seen Sept. 15. He was last heard from the following day, according to a Facebook page set up by friends and family to help in the search for him.
On the Facebook page, the family described Routt as a very experienced hiker who often hiked in the back country, which is why they weren’t worried about him initially.
As more time passed, the family called the sheriff’s office, which has been assisting in the search, along with the Orem Police Department and Department of Public Safety.
Drones were also used in the search.
Routt’s car was found at the Aspen Grove Trailhead parking lot at Mount Timpanogos, and during an air search with a DPS helicopter, a backpack thought to belong to the missing hiker was found near Aspen Grove.
Groups of searchers also went out Saturday, starting from the Aspen Grove parking lot near Sundance.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information is released.
