Body Found By Hikers In Wilderness Behind State Capitol Building

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Investigators have been called to a canyon behind the Utah State Capitol after officials said a body was found.

Detective Greg Wilking from the Salt Lake City Police Department said the body was found by hikers in Hell Canyon just after 10 a.m. Sunday and called emergency dispatchers.

Officials did not say if the body was near a trail, or if the hikers had wandered away from the main path.

It was not clear how long the body was in the area, but officials said it was in a state of decomposition. Wilking said they were able to quickly identify the person as a male in his 50s.

Investigators were not able to determine an exact cause of death. They did say, however, that there were no obvious causes and the case was not being treated as suspicious.

The medical examiner was called to the scene to take a closer look at the remains. It was determined the remains would be relocated to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

Wilking said the individual was known to police, but he did not have specifics.

An earlier version of this story reported the body was found in City Creek Canyon.