Crews ‘Scaling Back’ Search For Brothers’ Remains At Strawberry Reservoir
Jul 22, 2019, 6:43 AM
STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR, Utah – The search for two brothers who went missing at a Wasatch County reservoir will continue Monday, according to officials.
The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday issued a media release stating that teams will need to start “scaling back” efforts if the remains of Jim Gardiner, 70, of Salem; and Mark Gardiner, 61, of Pleasant Grove, are not found by Monday evening.
“We so much appreciate the State Parks, Weber County, and dog teams for all of the help,” according to the statement. “They’ve exhausted their volunteers and staff and did an awesome job of finishing their service, at least for now.”
The brothers were reported missing July 18 when their boat was discovered with its motor still running near the shore of Strawberry Reservoir.
Authorities discovered a fish on a line and a missing net on the boat. It’s believed the two men may have fallen over while trying to net the fish.
Search teams also found a hat and a pair of shoes, but there have since been no other signs of the Gardiner brothers.
“The family has been on-site during the entire search,” according to the WCSO. “They’ve kindly expressed their generous gratitude to those searching and they understand the difficulty of the work at hand.”