Investigation into identifying body found near Kanarraville could take months

Composite image, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — Detectives are working to identify the body of a man in his early 20s found near Kanarraville early Saturday afternoon, a process that could potentially take a few months.

Map depicting distance between Kanarravile where body was found in a field, and Cedar City, Iron County, Utah, Mar. 1, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News

The Iron County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a dead body located in a field north of Kanarraville around 1 p.m. Saturday, but detectives have yet to positively identify the remains as of Sunday, Lt. Del Schlosser told St. George News.

The cause of death may have been attributed to cold weather, the agency said in a statement released Friday, but the exact cause of death is still unknown.

Detectives are still working on identifying the man who did not appear to live in the area, making the identification process more difficult. The body has been sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the remains and conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

“We are working on trying to identify the victim and cause of death, which will be determined at the M.E.’s office in Salt Lake,” Schlosser said.

Schlosser also said under certain circumstances, the identification process could take several months.

As a measure of caution, these types of cases are typically considered criminal investigations until foul play can be ruled out.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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