WASHINGTON COUNTY – At approximately 7:15 p.m. Thursday, the St. George Communication Center received a 911 call of an unresponsive man in the Warner Valley area southeast of Washington City. Emergency personnel from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Hurricane Fire Department were dispatched to an abandoned mine shaft in the area and located the man and witnesses with the assistance of the Life Flight helicopter out of Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.
Due to the remote location of the incident, the initial responding deputy arrived on scene at approximately 7:35 p.m.
Witnesses on scene were able to direct the first responders to the location of a 70-year-old man who was approximately 100 feet down a mine shaft, a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office said. The man was unresponsive and witnesses on scene were already performing CPR. Paramedics arrived on scene shortly after and pronounced the subject dead.
The victim has been identified as Roy Dale Merrill of Washington.
Merrill was reported to have spoken with family at approximately 12:38 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office statement said, at which time he reported he was near a mine shaft south of the Washington Dam Road looking for silver or gold.
At 5:18 p.m. the victim’s wife tried to contact him by cellular phone, but was unsuccessful, the Sheriff’s Office statement said. After approximately one hour, the victim’s wife contacted a family friend who took her to the mine location. There they found Merrill unresponsive. They immediately called 911 and began CPR.
Merrill was reported to have been using a water pump to remove standing water from the bottom of the mine shaft, the statement said.
Detectives are working with the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office to determine an official cause of death.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Prayers for the family.
I heard this call when it came in. Please remember that no mine is a safe place to be around, not matter what age you are. My heart goes out to the family.
Yes, this is sad, and my heart goes out to his family. But remember he passed, while doing something he loved to do.
So just because somebody died while doing something they liked made it a happy death….. That is without a doubt one of the stupidest comments I’ve ever heard
Death is death. Would you prefer we said OHHHH GOD! WHY? WHY? WHY? Would you prefer he suffered? The comment was made because in the hours before his death he was a happy man. Your a …; Troll.
Ed. ellipsis.
You have no life.
That was the best reply, what better way to go.. If it’s something you love to do…. When it’s your time, it’s your time.
“When it’s your time, it’s your time.”
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I’ll never understand how rational people can babble this phrase.
I hope his last moments were filled with the pleasure of an activity he loved. Condolences.
That is always my biggest fear when I can’t reach my husband on his cell. Mrs. MerrilI, I am truly sorry for your loss and my thoughts and prayers will be for you and your family.
Passed doing what you loved to do is the dumbest thing to say after someone dies… so he loved dieing while fumbling around in a mine? It would be nice if people could say words of actual comfort rather than spout cliches.
And what exactly would your cynical, jaded, words of comfort be?
People go into mine shafts all the time and nothing happens to them.
I sure as heck would rather died doing something I enjoyed than at work or any other place. At least these people commenting were not trying to tear others down. Get a life people!!!! Seriously….
My condolences go out to those that lost a good friend, neighbor, and family member today :’ (
Bummer. May have been either Carbon monoxide poisoning from the pump or suffocation from pooled carbon dioxide. Many dangers in old mines.
That’s why they are closed off with no trespassing signs posted by them. There is a reason they were called widow makers
It would be nice if SG News would indicate a photo used is a stock photo or is an actual photo of the story site. This mine banner photo is not actual but canned. Suggestion for the SG News staff.
I agree with you, ScanMeister, and have added that caption. Thank you for calling it to my attention.
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