After the family of a 37-year-old man reported him missing Monday night at a ski resort in Utah, search and rescue crews found his body the next morning.
Melody Cutler, Unified Police Department sergeant, said Devon O’Connell of Cottonwood Heights was discovered at 8:20 a.m. by “Sensation” ski run, Fox 13 reported. He was wearing the right gear and was considered an expert skier, Cutler said. (RELATED: Skier Falls To His Death In Grand Teton National Park’s Death Canyon)
#BREAKING Body of missing skier found following search at Solitude Ski Resort https://t.co/ue60aKwnXB
— FOX 13 News Utah (@fox13) December 13, 2022
O’Connell had gone skiing with a friend, who had left at about 10:30 a.m. Monday, KSL TV reported. Police said that was the last time O’Connell was seen as he went up the ski lift around noon that day, according to KSL TV. When O’Connell hadn’t returned by 2:00 p.m. — the time he was expected— his wife notified Solitude Ski Patrol.
Salt Lake County Search and Rescue, Solitude and Brighton ski patrols and the Unified Police Department’s Canyon Patrol began the search Monday night, Fox 13 reported. Search and rescue crews traced his phone to a location on the mountain. Due to rough conditions, they paused search efforts at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday and resumed again at 7:00 a.m.
“He was found … in a group of trees where it looked like he went off the run — maybe to ski in some fresh powder, we’re not exactly sure,” Cutler said, according to Fox 13.
O’Connell’s injuries indicated some sort of impact, according to NBC News, which cites Solitude Mountain Resort officials.
Solitude said in a statement that they send their “deepest condolences to the family.”