This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some Utah Lake boaters made a grisly discovery when they found a submerged car that turned out to contain the body of a 42-year-old Lehi man.
Utah County Lt. Shawn Chipman said the men were boating in the American Fork Boat Harbor just before midnight Thursday when they noticed a vehicle's trunk sticking out of the water about 70 feet from shore.
When authorities responded, they found James Mehner dead inside the vehicle, Chipman said.
He said Mehner was in the driver's seat when his body was recovered. An autopsy was under way Friday morning to determine how he died.
Chipman, however, said there were no apparent wounds to the body and no indications that any sort of struggle had taken place. He said investigators are trying to determine how, when and why the car entered the water.
He said friends and family members had last seen Mehner alive Thursday and he hadn't been reported missing.
Chipman said authorities removed the vehicle from the lake about 2 a.m. Friday
Anyone with any information about Mehner is asked to call investigators at 801-851-4010.
Twitter @sltribjanelle