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The state medical examiner has confirmed through dental records that remains found by a hiker hundreds of feet below southeastern Utah's Moab Rim on Sunday are those of long-missing world champion skydiver David Brown.
Moab police announced the identification Wednesday of Brown, 37, who had been an instructor this summer at Skydive Moab. Brown was last seen June 29 when he walked out of the home he shared with his boss and friend, Clint MacBeth. Brown apparently planned only to take a short hike; he left behind his wallet, ID, passport, cash and all his belongings, police said.
In the weeks following his disappearance, Grand County Search and Rescue crews conducted extensive searches of the mountains surrounding Moab but found no trace. Police then issued a national missing person alert for Brown.
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Brown holds a skydiving world record and is a former national skydiving champion who had logged more than 30,000 jumps. He had recently gone through a divorce, and police said that the day before he went missing Brown had taken his current girlfriend to Canyonlands Field Airport, where she boarded a flight to Las Vegas en route to her home in Sweden.
On Sunday, Brown's body was found in the same general area, Kane Creek Canyon, where searchers had looked for him previously. Authorities were not surprised the remains had been missed before, since the terrain near and below the Moab Rim is very steep and rugged.
In a statement Wednesday on its "Dave Brown is Missing" Facebook page, Brown's family confirmed that his remains had been found and positively identified.
"We are devastated by our loss of such a gifted young man," the statement read in part. "We treasure the concern and best wishes of so many young people that were touched by Dave's smile and sense of adventure. ... Blue skies, Dave. You are so loved and your incredible zest for life will be missed."
Funeral arrangements were pending. The Brown family asked for privacy during their time of grieving.
Moab Police Chief Mike Navarre declined to take questions Wednesday about whether Brown's death was accidental or not. Navarre, who met with Brown family members late Wednesday morning, instead only issued a brief statement noting that the official cause of death awaited the results of an autopsy.