The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that the body recovered from Starvation Reservoir in 2024 has been confirmed as that of 47-year-old Steven Willard Anderson who had been reported as missing since 2004. At the time of the vehicle recovery operation in the fall, it was believed that the human remains were of Anderson but this is the first time the identity has been confirmed by DNA testing. The State Medical Examiner concluded that no foul play is suspected in Anderson’s death bringing an end to a 20 year missing person case. Anderson left his home in Salt Lake County in June of 2004 and 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 the United Search Corps and on September 29th, they 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.
