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OGDEN -- Hunters found a body in the mountains of Ogden Canyon Saturday. Authorities are now trying to identify the person and determine how he died.

Authorities said the body was badly decomposed because it had been there for a few months. They said the body is a man between 35 and 40 years old.

They said they didn't know how the man died -- whether it was an accident or foul play.

The mountain's steep terrain forced search and rescue teams to hike to the area where the body was found just before noon on Saturday.

"It was snowing when the call came in, so there was some accumulation up on the mountainside at that point in time that made visibility -- it was pretty low at that point in time," said Sgt. Teresa Perkins with the Weber County Sheriff's Office.

Hunters in Ogden Canyon made the discovery, but the body's condition made things challenging for investigators.

"We know that the body was badly decomposed," Perkins said.

Authorities found a backpack filled with clothes near the body, but there was no identification in it. They said based on the body's condition, it may have been there since July.

"In the summer time, you've got to take into consideration it could have been a hiker that was out there, maybe died of natural causes, maybe dehydration. We don't know at this point in time," Perkins said.

Authorities said there were some missing persons cases in Weber County and along the Wasatch Front. They said they hope this mystery may solve one of them.

"We definitely want to bring some resolution. This person has some loved ones out there somewhere," said Perkins. "We definitely want to identify the individual and bring some closure to them as well, and you know, so they can give the body a proper burial."

Investigators were awaiting autopsy results to determine the man's identity and cause of death.

The Weber County Sheriff's Office is also asking that anyone with information on any missing persons cases call its investigations unit at 801-395-8221.

E-mail: syi@ksl.com