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SNOWVILLE, Box Elder County — A pair of Utah men who were last seen Saturday were found safe Monday after officials from two counties in two states searched for them over the past two days.
Chad Strain and Lee Peters were located by search and rescue crews and volunteers near Granite Creek Reservoir in Elko County, Nevada — a spot just west of the Utah-Nevada border and north of Montello, Nevada, said Box Elder County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dale Ward.
Strain and Peters were reported missing after they hadn't been heard from since leaving for a hunting trip to Montello early Saturday morning. Their cellphone was last pinged southeast of the Nevada town near the state border. It's an area where cell service was "sketchy," Ward explained.
Authorities were concerned because the men weren’t prepared for a storm, which brought heavy wind and snow, as well as below-freezing temperatures to the area Monday. It sparked a frantic search between authorities in Box Elder and Elko counties, which included using a helicopter Sunday.
Elko County authorities deployed the helicopter over a “pretty probable” route hunters take toward Montello. The helicopter also searched other areas in the county Sunday, Elko County Sheriff's Sgt. Nick Czegledi told KSL on Sunday.
Ward said authorities received a tip Monday morning that a vehicle matching the description of the men's truck was seen traveling north on Winter Cabin Road in the northwestern corner of Utah Saturday. Box Elder County’s search and rescue team was then dispatched to that area.
Poor weather conditions forced crews to only use all-terrain vehicles. It wasn't clear if that tip led to locating the men, but the reservoir where they were found is just west of the road.
In a Facebook post, Strain's wife, Cassiea, expressed her happiness that the two men were found.
"My heart can’t believe it! They are coming home!" she posted.
Contributing: Emerson Oligschlaeger, KSL
