Rescue teams have found the body of a Canadian hiker who was reported missing Sunday evening in Millcreek Canyon, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday afternoon.
The body of the 38-year-old man was found Monday evening by a good Samaritan, the Utah Avalanche Center said Tuesday, and the man’s body was retrieved by helicopter Tuesday afternoon.
The sheriff’s office identified the man as David Ethier, from Canada. An avalanche swept him under the snow, rescuers said. His car was found at the Porter Fork trailhead, and authorities were able to contact his family and learn that he was overdue.
Rescuers said Ethier’s dog was found alive on the Porter Fork Trail.
The search was paused Sunday because of snowy conditions, and resumed Monday and Tuesday.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Sheriff Rosie Rivera said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the family as they grieve the loss of their loved one.”
The Utah Avalanche Center said in a statement that it had issued an avalanche warning for northern Utah mountains from Friday through Tuesday. Avalanche danger was rated as “high,” as a strong winter storm delivered strong winds and heavy snowfall.
The helicopter that recovered Ethier’s body first triggered avalanches in the area on purpose, the avalanche center said, to protect the search-and-rescue team.
