SPRINGVILLE, Utah — The Utah County Sheriff's Office is seeking tips after a hiker's eerie discovery in the mountains left them with little to no answers.
Officials said the man called Saturday around 6:15 p.m. to report finding what he believed were human remains while climbing in extremely steep terrain in Springville Rock Canyon, which is located north of the Lime Kiln.
Investigators went to the location and agreed that the remains appeared to be human — but "skeletonized." The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that the remains were indeed human.
The sheriff's office said investigators have contacted multiple local law enforcement agencies, and none have missing person cases with any apparent connection to the area where the skeletal remains were found.
"The problem right now is that we don't know who this person is, we don't know if it's a man or a woman, we don't know exactly how long they've been there," said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Sgt. Cannon told FOX 13 News on Tuesday that they don't believe the remains are historic, meaning that they likely had not been there for hundreds of years.
"Additional efforts to collect evidence are being made, but very little is known about the remains that were found," the press release from UCSO read. "Also, evidence in the area suggests there may be a reason people like to go there for recreation or fun."
Anyone with information that may help identify the remains is asked to call 801-851-4010 and ask to speak with Detective Fuell (or leave a message).
