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UTAH COUNTY — Family and friends lead a search for 24-year old Andrew Ungerman, who had been missing since Thursday morning. His body was discovered Monday evening, according to police.
Provo Police Lt. Mathew Siufanua reported that a private search party located the body of Andrew Ungerman in the mountains above Timpview High School at 5:40 p.m. Monday. His death appeared to be caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Siufanua said.
A friend of the family said that the Ungerman family wanted to express "profound gratitude for all those who searched and prayed and have supported the family."
Over 1,200 people were part of the search for Andrew, according to a family friend, Staci Peters.
A Facebook page was set up to spread the word about the search for Andrew. Monday evening, a statement was posted to the Facebook page that read: "We would like to thank all those who have helped in the efforts to find Andrew. He has been found, but tragically we will not see him again in this life."
At least 30 friends had spent most of Monday searching Rock Canyon, Little Rock Canyon and areas in between for Andrew, who was an active cyclist and hiker. By Monday evening, the group moved on to areas close to Andrew’s home, near Timpview High School in Provo.
“He’s gotten into rock climbing recently so he’s been along the whole range looking for places to climb,” said friend Zac Whitmore. "He’s a brother. That’s all there is to it, so it’s like my brother’s missing right now,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore and a few friends hiked Little Rock Canyon Sunday night, as soon as they learned Andrew was missing, and returned to the area Monday morning.
“I packed to be out all day and I’ll be out all day tomorrow,” Whitmore said. “My level of concern is maximum. All of his bicycles are at home, his scooter and all the family cars are home."
Andrew had been living with his father, Mark Ungerman. Mark thought that his son had gone camping with friends last week. Mark Ungerman realized his son was missing Sunday night when his friends went to their home looking for him.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ungerman family and appreciation goes to all those who participated in the search for this young man.
–Provo Police Department
“I’m just trying to hold our hope and hope that someone saw him or can help us locate him,” said Rosanna Ungerman, who got a call from her ex-husband Sunday.
She said her son struggles with depression but was coping. Andrew was studying to be a physician’s assistant.
“He was an anatomy TA, smart kid, very helpful, very kind,” Rosanna said.
Family and friends said Andrew was also excited about his new job at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem.
“He’s way into bikes, so any bike nerd who gets a job at a bike shop, it’s like the Holy Grail,” Whitmore said.
Andrew’s phone was off and he hasn’t taken any money out of his bank account.
“We’ve tried contacting him by phone, text. Police did a ping and did not get anything back,” Rosanna Ungerman said.
The family filed a missing persons report with Provo police and a detective has been assigned to the case. However, authorities reported there was no evidence of foul play, the investigation is limited.
Police had placed Andrew’s name in a national database and put out an ATL or attempt to locate, so officers could keep an eye out for him.
The Provo Police Department released a statement Monday night: "Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ungerman family and appreciation goes to all those who participated in the search for this young man."
