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Remains found in Millcreek Canyon may belong to man who disappeared in Dec. 2016

Posted at 10:46 AM, Oct 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-06 23:35:35-04

MILLCREEK CANYON, Utah -- A hiker's dog found the remains of a human body in Millcreek Canyon Thursday night.

"The dog went off the trail for a little bit," said Lt. Brian Lohrke, a spokesperson for the Unified Police Department. "He didn't immediately return. So, they started going into the brush and came across skeletal remains."

Lohrke said the hikers came back down the canyon where they could get cell phone signal and call police, and then a search and rescue team went up Friday morning.

"We were able to confirm the human remains," Lt. Lohrke said. "We were able to collect as much of that as we could and bring them to a medical examiner's office."

As of Friday evening, police did not have confirmation on the identity of the body or a cause of death; however, they did confirm they were looking into the possibility the remains may be that of a 24-year-old missing man named Blake Richardson.

Richardson was last spotted in Millcreek Canyon last December by hikers who said he didn't seem dressed appropriately for the weather and was asking for food. Police also said he has a mental disability.