A vehicle recovery operation at Starvation Reservoir this week was the break needed in the case of a missing Salt Lake County man. Steven Willard Anderson was 47-years-old when he was reported missing in June of 2004. He was last known to be heading to his family cabin at Flaming Gorge to paint the deck but never arrived. Along with his cellphone and vehicle, he remained missing for over 20 years and the investigation into his disappearance revealed no signs of planned disappearance or foul play. In March 2022, the case caught the attention of Doug Bishop with the United Search Corps and Dave Sparks with Spark Motors. The effort heated up last spring when the pair began collaborating with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office on the case. On September 29th, Bishop located the submerged vehicle in Starvation Reservation at a depth of about 50 feet of water. On September 30th, a recovery effort involving the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, United Search Corps, Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, Sparks Heavy Rescue, Atlas Towing, and the DNR was able to recover Steven Anderson’s vehicle from the reservoir. While the remains found inside the vehicle are still going through the official identification process, they are believed to be the remains of Steven Anderson. Questions about the case can be referred to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
