UPDATED: Officials release name of man found off cliff’s edge overlooking Bloomington Walmart

A St. George Police Officer looks over a ledge above where a person fell to their death just northwest of Brigham Road near Walmart Saturday, St. George, Utah, June 2, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The person found on the side of a hill overlooking the Bloomington Walmart in St. George on Saturday has been identified.


Updated June 8, 10 a.m.:  The man has been positively identified as 29-year-old St. George resident Jesse Longoria, St. George Police Sgt. Heidi Palmer said.

The manner of death is undetermined as the incident is still under investigation, Palmer said.

“However, there’s nothing to indicate criminal activity surrounding the decedent’s death,” she said.

According to a message posted on Facebook by Brendeen Longoria Spencer, Jesse Longoria’s mother, the hill overlooking Walmart is a place where she and her son Jesse “spent a lot of time time together watching the stars and overlooking the lights.”

“We lived just below this hill for a while and always enjoyed the views,” she said.

Jesse Longoria’s remains were sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Salt Lake City for autopsy, according to Brendeen Longoria Spencer.

“He is always remembered for his happiness and love that he gave to everyone,” Brendeen Longoria Spencer said in the post.

The information obtained from social media was done so with Brendeen Longoria Spencer’s expressed permission.


Police and rescuers working towards the top of the cliff where a body was discovered approximately 100 feet below Saturday afternoon, St. George, Utah, June 2, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

The event began when emergency personnel were dispatched to the area after an individual called 911 shortly after 1:30 p.m. to report a “person down” on the side of the hill.

A person appeared to have fallen to their death and was located approximately 100 feet below the edge of a cliff just east of where the asphalt ends on Rio Virgin Drive.

The overhanging cliff where police and rescuers were observed working Saturday overlooks the Walmart Supercenter, 2610 Pioneer Road. The body was located approximately halfway between the edge of the cliff and the bottom of the canyon.

The St. George Police Department was unavailable for comment at the time of this report.

St. George News reporter Markee Heckenliable contributed to this report.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.  

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

2 Comments

  • Carpe Diem June 2, 2018 at 10:49 pm

    Please update! And how about the person who drove off Webb hill? Was this person there long? Regardless, sad. BTW there are some pioneer glyphs just East of this spot on the same cliff towards the top. There is a glyph of a bust, I would say it resembles Brigham Young, as well as a Cotton plant glyph and other smaller glyphs including initials IIRC. You can spot them from the trail below, or from the freeway as you zoom by if you are feeling frisky and risky. To climb to them from the bottom or top is very hairy as well, haven’t done it.

  • Rob83 June 5, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    Yes, please update this and the Webb Hill, I am curious to know as well.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.