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GRANTSVILLE — A man was arrested early Sunday after campers found a deceased man near Grantsville Reservoir Saturday evening, according to police.
About 4 p.m. Saturday, a group of campers about a mile west of the reservoir came upon a man trying to get a vehicle unstuck near a campsite. When they approached the site, they noticed a deceased man lying on the ground, according to Tooele County Sheriff's Lt. Travis Scharmann.
The deceased man was identified as Larry Eldon Ray, 57, of Lehi.
When the campers approached the man working on the vehicle, "the guy just kind of got nervous and then walked off and left the area," Scharmann said.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the site, and a search began for the man who left. Later that evening after police announced they were looking for a man walking out of the area, someone called in saying they had picked up a man of the same description.
They referred police to an address in Grantsville, where they arrested Devon Dahl, 24, of Ogden, around midnight Sunday morning for investigation of vehicle burglary, possession of stolen property and witness tampering.
Scharmann said it was unclear if Dahl is connected to Ray's death, though Dahl was found in possession of some of Ray's belongings, Scharmann said.
"We still haven't been able to determine the relationship between the two, if there is one, and whether or not he's responsible for the death," he said.
The lieutenant said it was unknown how Ray died or how long he had been deceased when he was found at the campsite. Dahl was being questioned by investigators Sunday, and a medical examiner's report was expected to be complete Monday, he said.
"Right now it's suspicious because of the circumstances with Dahl being the last one there with (Ray), and we're still trying to get to the bottom of why he was there," Scharmann said.
A search of court records shows Dahl pleaded guilty last year to retail theft, a class B misdemeanor.
Scharmann said investigators were "very satisfied" with the assistance from citizens who reported the situation and Dahl's whereabouts to police.
Contributing: Sandra Yi
