Body of missing fisherman recovered from Flaming Gorge


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MANILA, Daggett County — The body of a Manila man who went missing while fishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir in January was recovered Tuesday, police said.

The body of Phil Sabey, 59, was pulled from the reservoir at about 3:20 p.m., Daggett County Sheriff's Office authorities said. Two men who were fishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir spotted the man’s body floating near the shoreline in the Mustang Ridge area and alerted authorities, police said.

Daggett County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Collett said the man was identified as Sabey and that he went missing Jan. 20 while fishing in the area.

Police had responded to a report of a suspicious truck with its engine still running with nobody around it at a Cedar Springs Marina boat ramp. Officials from several agencies began searching for the missing fisherman that day and searched the water several times after the incident before the search was suspended due to wintry conditions.

Another search was conducted in February to no avail.

Police said Wednesday that Sabey had recently moved to Manila from Lyman, Wyoming, and had told family members the night before he went missing that he planned to go fishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Authorities believe that Sabey drowned after something occurred while he unloaded his boat. Sabey’s body was taken to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office Tuesday night for an autopsy, police added.

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Carter Williams

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