Washington County officials investigate homicide near Anasazi trailhead
Oct 10, 2022, 6:03 PM | Updated: Oct 11, 2022, 6:08 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — A homicide investigation is underway after a body was found near a popular hiking trail Monday morning.
Sgt. Joel Hafoka with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said their deputies were on another call out in the near when they came across an unusual sight.
“Deputies were dispatched to what initially came out as a business burglary,” Hafoka said.
The business is a construction yard south of Ivins off of Anasazi Road. Deputies got the call at approximately 6:41 a.m. Monday.
“As they were getting to the scene, they realized that there was forced entry, there were signs of burglary, but during the process of that initial investigation, there was also a body that was located,” Hafoka explained.
Employees of the company located some stolen property near the yard where the 36-year-old man was lying on the ground, dead. Hafoka said they believed this was a suspicious death.
He said investigators are still working to answer many questions, including determining how the person died and if they’re tied to the burglary.
“It was the workers initially that went on site, but we’re still analyzing everything to collect more information on the body itself and any link to the burglary itself,” Hafoka said.
Deputies do not believe there is any danger to the public that people should be worried about. They’re trying to find the dead man’s family before sharing with us who they are. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death later on.
