The body of an American Fork man reported missing last month was found floating in Mill Creek on Sunday afternoon, police and family members said.
“We are deeply pained to have our most dreaded fear confirmed,” the family of 30-year-old Paul Swenson wrote in a statement posted Monday on social media.
Someone reported to police that a body was floating near 130 West and 2950 South in South Salt Lake about 4 p.m. Sunday. It was recovered several blocks downstream, where it had been caught on debris, South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller said.
Authorities and the family confirmed Monday that the body was Swenson’s. Despite the body being highly decomposed, Keller said, authorities were able to identify it from an ID in a pocket, along with clothing and tattoos. The state medical examiner’s office said there were no obvious signs of foul play, such as significant wounds or signs of a blunt force impact.
“But we still don‘t have a cause of death; we’re waiting for the lab and toxicology tests to return,” Keller said, adding that such answers often take weeks.
Online interest in Swenson’s case grew quickly after he was reported missing under strange circumstances July 27. Family members have said Swenson complained of chest pain and wasn’t acting normally before leaving his home for an appointment in Salt Lake City. The next morning, his car was found abandoned on the side of the road near a Salt Lake City elementary school.
Police have said several people may have spotted Swenson in the days immediately following his disappearance, and tips of sightings have poured in since. But investigators from American Fork police and the Unified Police Department have not confirmed them.
The investigation has focused on Swenson’s car, in which several items that family said did not belong to Swenson were found. American Fork police did not return messages seeking additional information on that probe Monday night.
Keller said his department will investigate the situation and work with American Fork police and UPD. He said detectives planned to comb the creek upstream for evidence.
In a post on the Bring Paul Home Facebook page, members of Swenson’s family thanked the people who supported the search for him. His wife, Ashlee Swenson, is a prominent fashion blogger and has been posting daily about the case on her Instagram account, which has nearly 60,000 followers.
A massive social media campaign sought to end his disappearance, with tens of thousands of people following multiple Facebook pages, many discussing theories of his disappearance.
“Thank you for your prayers for Paul and our whole family,” the family‘s post said. “We are asking for privacy as our family takes the time to absorb this tragic news and to mourn.”
