Body Part Found Near Fish Lake; Could It Be Missing Washington City Man?

A strange discovery at Fish Lake in Sevier County may have reopened a decades-old missing person case. 

On Friday (May 16) a man was walking along the lake with his dog when the animal picked up a shoe found near the shoreline.

But what the dog brought back was more than just lost property. 

Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis says the man noticed what looked like a bone inside the shoe.

Deputies responded to the scene and confirmed what appeared to be human remains -- specifically, a human foot inside the shoe. 

Investigators now believe the remains may be linked to a Washington City man who went missing in the area back in 1997.

Read More Here: Unidentified Human Remains Have Utah Ties

The case is under active investigation, and the remains have been sent for further analysis. 

David M. White of Washington City, Utah, went missing in September 1997 while fishing on Fish Lake. His body was never found. 

Officials say they have a DNA sample from one of White's children and are sending it in for comparison to the foot. 

Also, officials say they aren't aware of any other missing person reports for people believed to be in the Fish Lake area.

Fish Lake is a popular deep-water lake high in the mountains in central Utah. Twenty-eight years ago, White disappeared after having last been seen on the lake.

Officials called off the search after three days, saying the 100-foot depth of the lake made it nearly impossible for divers to spot anything deep underwater.

Police say White was likely fishing near the center of the lake when he fell into the 100-feet-deep waters.

In a Deseret News story back in 1997, Sevier County Sheriff's Lt. Delbert Lloyd said searchers dragged the lake, but that "It's almost impossible to get those dragging hooks to get anything that deep. That whole lake is deep, and it was too deep for the three divers we sent in. It was just too dark, too black."

White was an employee of Utah Power.

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