New search begins for missing 69-year-old woman in Carbon County

SALT LAKE CITY — A new search effort is underway in Carbon County as family members and volunteers continue looking for a 69-year-old Utah woman who has been missing for more than three months.

DeEtte Spencer disappeared while traveling home to Escalante from Colorado earlier this year. According to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office, surveillance footage captured Spencer at a Walmart in Price on Jan. 26, marking one of the last confirmed sightings.

More than a month later, on March 5, family members said an oil field worker discovered Spencer's vehicle abandoned in a remote area near Nine Mile Canyon in Carbon County, roughly two hours from the Price Walmart where she was last seen. Family members believe Spencer's car became stuck in the rugged terrain. They think she likely left the vehicle on foot, carrying her purse and keys.

"I've been out there nine times," said Shawn Morgan, Spencer's son-in-law. "We've searched with planes, drones, dogs, horses, motorcycles, four-wheelers, side by sides. We've searched everything that is easy to search or that makes any sense to the point that to get to new territory, it is so rugged, we are putting ourselves and our friends in danger by searching on our own."

Morgan said family members have received overwhelming support from law enforcement agencies and rescue crews, including the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office, Garfield County Sheriff's Office, Carbon County Sheriff's Office, and others.

"I haven't ever been out there and not found someone else out there searching for her," Morgan said. "The easy stuff has been done, so we don't know what to do. We're grasping at straws."

Beginning Thursday, Morgan said a private search organization, O-SAR Organized Search and Rescue, plans to assist with a new large-scale effort involving 30 to 50 volunteers over three days.

"We're hoping that with the new angle, some fresh eyes on it, we're just hoping that something will turn up," Morgan said.

Family members acknowledged the search has transitioned to a recovery effort but said they are determined to bring Spencer home and bury her alongside her late husband.

"Just have closure for the family," Morgan said.

The nationwide attempt-to-locate bulletin and the statewide Silver Alert issued for DeEtte Spencer are still active, according to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. Anyone who has information or has seen anything related to this case should contact the Carbon County Sheriff's Office at 435-636-3251.

A GoFundMe campaign* is raising funds to provide meals for volunteers participating in the three-day search effort.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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