DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah — After a months-long effort between police agencies and volunteers, a body was found in Starvation Reservoir on Monday.
Police believe the body, which was found in a submerged SUV, belonged to a man who has been missing for 20 years.
While the identification of the remains is still pending, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle was confirmed as "connected to" the case of Steven Willard Anderson, who went missing in June 2004.
The SUV was found by Doug Bishop with United Search Corps, a nonprofit that specializes in missing person cases. He has been working with Dave Sparks, of Sparks Motors and the reality TV show Diesel Brothers, for the past six months on this cold case.
Bishop located the vehicle on Sunday at a depth of 50 feet. Then on Monday, the vehicle was pulled from the water in a collaborative effort between multiple police agencies and private towing companies.
"This is a process of elimination with the type of search we specialize in, which is underwater," Bishop said. "That is what led us to Starvation Reservoir. Our search at this reservoir did uncover a vehicle that is connected to a case that we have been working on."
"It's the vehicle — 1000% confirmed the vehicle," Sparks added. "Obviously forensics will have to tell us what remains we found, but there were remains and it was the vehicle we were after."
Bishop and Sparks documented their search, which started at Flaming Gorge, in a YouTube video posted in May. They talked to Unified Police Detective Ben Pender about the case.
"The vehicle just fell off the face of the earth?” Bishop asked.
“Yes, no sign of him," Pender replied. "We've worked with Toyota, we've served some subpoenas and search warrants to try to get information, and even they don't have any information of where the vehicle's at."
Axel Anderson, Steven's son, said his father was heading to the family's cabin on June 3, 2004, to do some painting, but he never arrived.
“Last conversation, he came to pick me up to go to the cabin on this trip," Axel said. "I had forgotten I had a birthday party to go to, and I told him 'no' at the door and that was it. You never think that it's gonna be the last time you talk to somebody.”
While the state medical examiner's office works to confirm if the remains are indeed Anderson, Sparks was glad to help the family find some answers.
“That brings closure to generations of a family, rather than thinking that their dad just up and vanished one day," he said.
