Southern Utah Officials Say Human Remains in Kane County Could Belong to Missing St. George Woman

Authorities in Kane County believe they’ve found the remains of a St. George woman who was reported missing in November 2023. 

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office posted a press release on May 28 detailing the circumstances that led to the discovery of human remains near Duck Creek, and why the remains may unfortunately belong to Courtney Lynn Townsend. 

The KCSO said, “On Monday May 27, 2024, Kane County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from an individual who was riding their ATV in the Duck Creek Ridge area about some clothing they had located on the side of the road. The individual was familiar with the Townsend case and thought the clothing might be important.” 

Deputies joined detectives on the scene to locate the source of the clothing found on the side of the road, which led to the discovery of human remains. 

The KCSO said, “Detectives and deputies from Kane County Sheriff’s Office, (KCSO), responded to the area. The investigation indicated the presence of human remains with the clothing. The KCSO staff was joined by Kane County Search and Rescue members, including dogs trained in location of human remains. Additional remains were located in area around the clothing. Evidence on scene leads investigators to believe the remains are those of Courtney Townsend.” 

The human remains will be transferred to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s office to properly identify the remains. 

Courtney Lynn Townsend, 32, was reported missing on November 16, 2023, with Townsend’s mother filing the missing person's report on December 2, 2023. Authorities from the KCSO and St. George Police Department believe the search for Townsend has been hampered due to the winter weather in the area.  

More searches for Townsend occurred when the snow melted earlier this month. We’ll provide more details as the authorities update the public.