Little Cottonwood bones mystery: DNA results on recovered fragments could take months

Hellgate Cliffs • Police have idea of identity, but confirmation may not come for awhile.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune

The Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune

The Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune

UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media about remains found in the Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune
UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media about remains found in the Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon on Thursday. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune
UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media on Thursday at the Hellgate Cliffs area of Little Cottonwood Canyon about remains found in the area. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune

The Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune

UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media about remains found in the Hellgate Cliffs area of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis.

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Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune The Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune The Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media about remains found in the Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis. Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media about remains found in the Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon on Thursday. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis. Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media on Thursday at the Hellgate Cliffs area of Little Cottonwood Canyon about remains found in the area. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis. Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune The Hellgate Cliffs area, pictured, of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune UPD detective Ken Hansen speaks to the media about remains found in the Hellgate Cliffs area of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Climbers initially found a boot containing skeletal remains of a foot, which could have been on the cliffside for two to three years. Hansen said investigators are confident they will be able to link the remains to a missing person through DNA analysis.

By Bob Mims The Salt Lake Tribune

· July 28, 2015 1:52 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Unified Police detectives say it could be autumn before they have information on the identity of human bones discovered last week by climbers in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

UPD Lt. Lex Bell said the bones — scattered fragments ranging from a relatively intact foot to pieces of ribs and spine — are under study by the Utah State Medical Examiner's office.

"Our investigators ... told me it will probably be several months before they get DNA back and can identify the victim," Bell said on Tuesday.

Two climbers made the grisly discovery while in the area of the Hellgate Cliffs on July 21. They found a weathered hiking boot, and bagged it as trash. When they returned home that night, upon further inspection, they discovered foot bones inside and called 911.

Last Thursday, Salt Lake County Search and Rescue crews, along with Unified Police officers, recovered additional bones during a day-long search of the scene, located in steep, rocky terrain across the road from the Alta Ski Resort.

Meanwhile, police said they may have an idea of who the victim might be, but declined to specifically say that person was a hiker reported missing in 2012

However, UPD has acknowledged they believe — given the size of the boot — that the victim was male.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims