The body of a West Bountiful man who had been missing for two weeks was found over the weekend near northwestern Utah’s Lakeside Mountains.
In a Facebook posting, the family of 74-year-old John Page confirmed they were notified Saturday morning that the remains had been recovered in a remote area of the mountains, near the Tooele and Box Elder county line.
Page was last seen at a Maverick store in Centerville on Pioneer Day, July 24. Police found his car five days later, parked an undisclosed distance from where his body was finally located.
It appeared that Page, an avid outdoorsman, had parked and then hiked into the foothills to explore a steep, rocky area accessible only on foot.
Tooele County sheriff’s deputies turned the body over to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, but authorities speculated that Page may have possibly fallen and then succumbed to heat and dehydration.
In its Facebook posting, Page’s family expressed its gratitude to searchers and others who volunteered over the past weeks to look for him.
“We are so thankful for the closure that the events of this morning brought our family,” the statement read in part. “We know that our Grandpa Johnny has been reunited with his wife and is at peace. We loved him so much and are comforted in our knowledge of forever families.”
Funeral arrangements were pending.