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WEST JORDAN — Authorities have located the body of a West Jordan police officer who had been missing since last week.
Late Sunday morning, a truck was found at the base of a cliff in a remote area of Sevier County, just west of Emery. The Sevier County Sheriff's Office confirmed that it was the vehicle that belonged to Jedediah "JR" Steadman, who went missing on Tuesday.
According to West Jordan Police Sgt. Dan Roberts, it appeared that Steadman missed a turn, went off the road and over the cliff. The investigation is ongoing, he added.
Steadman, 34, left his home Tuesday morning in a navy blue, 1998 Dodge pickup. Steadman and his wife had argued the previous evening, but things seemed fine when he left, according to Roberts, though he hadn't been heard from since.
Steadman was expected to show up at work Friday, but had not been in contact with anyone.
Searchers began looking for the missing officer, pursuing leads throughout the state in previously unsearched areas, including in Tooele and Summit counties.
Steadman was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a seven-year veteran of the police department who was recently promoted to detective in the property crimes unit.
The West Jordan Police Department offered its condolences in a statement: "The Steadman family joins our department in expressing profound gratitude for the immense support extended to help find JR. In addition to the many, many volunteers that have helped search for JR, his family also wishes to thank the search and rescue teams from Emery and Sevier counties, as well as the Emery Fire Department, and the sheriff's deputies from Sevier and Emery counties who worked so hard to recover him.
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the Steadman family, who are asking for privacy as they mourn their loss. As a (police) department, we will warmly remember officer Steadman for his many years of dedicated service to our community. Today we lost another one of our own."
