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Man found dead after police respond to car in river in American Fork Canyon

Posted at 2:46 PM, Dec 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-15 20:00:21-05

UTAH COUNTY — A man reported missing out of Pleasant Grove Thursday night was found dead in a vehicle that went into the river at the mouth of American Fork Canyon.

The deceased has been identified as Nickolas Thayne, 23 of Pleasant Grove.

Dave Ventrano, a public information officer for Lone Peak Police Department, said Thayne was working on his car Thursday afternoon and was reported missing to Pleasant Grove police around 7:30 p.m.

Around 10:30 p.m., Lone Peak Police received a call about a car in the American Fork River at the mouth of American Fork Canyon. Police responded and found Thayne deceased at the scene. It was not immediately clear if the vehicle was partially in the river or fully in the water when it was found.

The cause of death and the circumstances under which the car went into the water remain under investigation, but Ventrano said at this time they do not believe the death is a suicide.

A woman who identified herself as Thayne’s sister released this statement regarding the death:

“Nick was a father husband son and brother. He is leaving behind a 2 year old little girl and beautiful wife… He was a good man who brought joy to everyone he met. He loved cars and his family and would give anyone the shirt off of his back. All he wanted was to give his family everything he could!”

Loved ones have also created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Thayne’s family.