Second Day Of Search For Missing Man In Uintas Turns Up No Leads
Jul 20, 2018, 8:34 PM | Updated: Feb 14, 2023, 4:08 pm
OAKLEY, Utah – Search and rescue teams found no leads in their second day of looking for 66-year-old Charles “Ray” Humpherys.
The South Jordan man went missing around 10 p.m. Wednesday night near Hidden Lake in the Uinta Mountains, about 8 miles east of Oakley. Officials from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said Humpherys left his family’s campsite to fill up a bucket of water to extinguish their campfire. That was the last time anyone saw him.
“It was yards away from the lake, so not a long distance for him to walk down to the lake and so that, again, plays into us wondering where he went,” said Lt. Andrew Wright. “It’s hard to say. Anything could be a possibility at this time.”
Search teams have examined the area on foot and from helicopters and airplanes. Friday afternoon, a Utah Department of Public Safety dive team searched Hidden Lake. None of the searches have turned up any clues.
Officials said the area can be challenging.
“Very mountainous. There are some very treacherous, steep inclines. It’s very wooded, so that creates a lot of challenges itself with the terrain,” Lt. Wright said.
Search officials said Humpherys had gone on annual camping trips in the area for the past 29 years and was an experienced outdoorsman.
“He is very active, very healthy. He loves the outdoors. He does this every year, so it is not like him to walk away from a camp like this and not be seen for two days,” Lt. Wright said.
Humpherys was wearing a black jacket and vest, gray shirt, tan/gray pants, and a gray cap when he disappeared.
Lt. Wright said Humpherys’ disappearance was the eighth search and rescue call-out for their teams since Friday. He emphasized the importance of proper preparation.
“Make sure you’re prepared with the proper equipment. Have a GPS handy. Make sure you that you have the ability to filter water,” he said. “Even though it’s the summer, it can be a little deceiving when you leave the Salt Lake Valley (with) 100°. You can come up here. It’s the low 70°s, and it can drop down near freezing temperatures.”
Another man, Melvin Heaps, went missing in the same area in July 2017. Heaps has never been found.
