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ORANGEVILLE — A 24-year-old man died after he may have lost his footing on the slope above a cliff in a side canyon of Cottonwood Canyon on Thursday, Emery County Sheriff's Office said.
The 24-year-old man was identified as Matthew J. Schnitzer, of New York.
According to Emery County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post, Schnitzer and a friend had been camping in the area for about a week when they went hiking on April 22. The friend decided to return to camp while Schnitzer continued to hike. When Schnitzer failed to return to camp his friend began searching for Schnitzer until midnight, said the sheriff's office.
A press release from the sheriff's office said that after Schnitzer couldn't be located, the friend called local authorities at about 7 a.m. the next morning. Crews from the Emery County Sheriff's Office, search and rescue teams, and the state Department of Public Safety helicopter assisted in the search.
The helicopter crew located Schnitzer's body at the bottom of an 80-foot cliff. The body was transported and Schnitzer's family was notified, said the sheriff's office.
Further information was not released.
