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MAGNA — Officials have identified a man who was found dead early Sunday morning on I-80 near the Saltair.
The man was identified Sunday evening as 28-year-old Bo Shepherd, of Pleasant Grove, Utah Highway Patrol officials said.
At 3:35 a.m., emergency dispatchers received reports of a body lying in the westbound lanes of I-80 at the state Route 202 overpass, according to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Lawrence Hopper. When troopers arrived, they found Shepherd deceased on the road. He appeared to have been hit by several vehicles, including a semitruck which returned to the scene.
"It is dark out there at 3:30 in the morning," Hopper said. "If somebody hit something, they might have thought it was just a piece of debris, some tire or something else. They may not realize it was actually a person that they had hit."
Troopers believe Shepherd had left an event at the Saltair, not far from where his body was found. They said he may have gotten sick as he walked across the S.R. 202 overpass and that he leaned over the westbound railing and fell onto I-80 before he was hit.
Hopper said, at this time, investigators don't have any reason to believe Shepherd was attempting suicide.
Das Energi Festival — a music festival featuring electronic music — took place at the Saltair Friday and Saturday, according to the event's website. Event organizers did not respond to KSL.com's requests for comment Sunday evening.
Shepherd didn't have any form of identification with him when he was found and investigators asked for the public's help in identifying him based on his tattoos and clothing earlier Sunday.
The westbound lanes of the freeway were closed for several hours overnight as troopers investigated the scene, but all lanes reopened by 6:30 a.m.
Contributing: Sean Moody, KSL TV
