Officials investigating mysterious death after Lehi man found in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, Utah County — A Lehi man who left home for a motorcycle ride Saturday morning was found dead in Fairfield hours later — half a mile away from his bike.

Just after 8 p.m. Saturday, a man and his son were driving a side-by-side vehicle on a remote road in Fairfield when they came across the body of Benjamin David Jansen, in full motorcycle gear, lying face-down in the road, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded and determined the man was deceased; Jansen's motorcycle was found "leaning to the side" a half-mile to the south, officials said, but it did not appear to have crash damage and the man had no obvious crash injuries. Authorities initially reported that it appeared Jansen could have been involved in a minor crash and may have suffered internal injuries.

Jansen's wife told police he'd left that morning to ride in the Lake Mountain/Cedar Valley area and planned to return by noon. She contacted police later that day when she could not reach him.

"Jansen's body was taken to the Medical Examiner's Office in Taylorsville," the sheriff's office said, "where an exam will be conducted in an effort to determine what caused his death."

Correction: This article originally said the man died in a car accident; he was on a motorcycle.

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