Body recovered at Angels Landing believed to be that of missing hiker
Apr 18, 2019, 6:56 PM | Updated: Dec 11, 2023, 7:00 pm
ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — The search for a missing hiker at Zion National Park came to a tragic end today.
Just before the noon hour on Thursday, search teams found a body at the bottom of Angels Landing in the park.
The body is believed to be Pradeep Berly, 35, from Salt Lake City. He was reported missing after he didn’t show up for work Wednesday.
Friends tell KSL TV that he last checked in from Cedar City on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to say he was heading to Zion to hike Angels Landing.
When he didn’t show up to work his friends became very concerned.
“We were all very worried. It’s very unlike Berly to be unreliable or not show up to work. We knew something was wrong,” said Camille Wright, who has known Berly for years. “He’s one of the most dependable and kindest people we know. Not a mean bone in his body. We all call him uncle Beryl at our house.”
Very sad: A body found at the bottom of Angles Landing in @ZionNPS is believed to be a missing hiker from Salt Lake. Authorities say the search has been called off. A close friend tells me "shock & heartache" story on @KSL5TV 5. pic.twitter.com/N72h9vJ2yN
— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) April 18, 2019
Aly Baltrus, a spokesperson for Zion National park, said the medical examiner still has to positively identify the body, but they believe it is the missing hiker.
They were searching for him since Wednesday, after they found his car in the parking lot. The search was called off for Berly after finding the body.
“It is definitely extremely sad. We feel for the person’s family and friends,” Baltrus said. “It makes us take a deep look at safety and we also do an after action report to see if we can figure out what happened and whether or not we can improve conditions.”
Baltrus said conditions were wet and rainy on Tuesday and believes the hiker could have slipped and fell. She also said this is the third person to fall off Angels Landing in two years.
“We are definitely concerned about safety at Angels Landing,” she said. “There is talk about limiting the number of people on Angels Landing.”
