Family offers $10,000 reward for info on missing man, last seen in Emery County
Aug 12, 2024, 3:54 PM | Updated: Aug 19, 2024, 3:41 pm
EMERY COUNTY — The family of a missing man in a slot canyon near Goblin Valley is offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who can help lead the family to him.
The search for Howard Stone, 64, began Sunday, a day after he began his hike Saturday.
The search has been challenging for rescue teams, who have been dealing with weather, rain, and flash flooding that has forced them to pause their efforts at times. But they’re not giving up, and are fairly certain Stone is somewhere in the Little Wild Horse Canyon.
“I was aware my dad was planning a bit of an adventure on Saturday,” Brandon Stone, Howard Stone’s son, said. “He was going to go down to Emery County. He was planning to play a round of golf and then hike a slot canyon, the Little Wildhorse Canon.”
According to a statement posted to Goblin Valley State Park’s Facebook account, Stone’s vehicle was parked at the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead. Searches have been performed on the canyons and surrounding areas with no luck.
Sherriff Tyson Huntington with the Emery County Sheriff’s Office told KSL that the 64-year-old man played golf at the Millsite Golf Course Saturday at 8 a.m. After playing golf, the man went to the Little Wild Horse Canyon for a hike.
On Sunday, the man’s son called police and reported that the man had gone missing and he could not contact him by phone.
“I tried reaching out to him Saturday afternoon asking him to let me know when he got out of the canyon,” Brandon Stone said. “And unfortunately, I didn’t hear back from him.”
His family isn’t giving up, and said they’re offering a $10,000 reward for information that brings him home.
According to Huntington, due to weather concerns, search and rescue crews looked for the man from Sunday afternoon until about midnight.
Huntington said that crews returned to the canyon on Monday but are not going into locations that endanger them due to flash flood warnings.
Goblin Valley State Park posted that its visitor center would be closed for the rest of Monday due to the search and rescue.
“We’re trying to hold onto what hope we have and trying to be as useful as we can, and are just hoping that someone saw something,” Brandon Stone said. “A lead that we can follow to help find my dad.”
Howard Stone is from Spanish Fork. He was hiking alone. Authorities are asking visitors to the canyon to be cautious and alert. Anyone who saw him on Saturday going forward can contact the Emery Sheriff’s Office at 435-381-2112.
