SALT LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE RECOVERS SUBMERGED VEHICLE IN STARVATION RESERVOIR

Starvation Reservoir, October 1, 2024 — Steven Willard Anderson was reported missing in June of 2004. His case has been an open ongoing investigation for several years. The case has been highlighted by local media back in March of 2022. This brought the attention of the case to Doug Bishop with the United Search Corps and Dave Sparks with Spark Motors. In April of 2024, Bishop and Sparks met with Detective Ben Pender from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office and began collaborating on the case. 

On September 29, 2024, Bishop located a submerged vehicle at a depth of approximately 50 feet in Starvation Reservoir. The vehicle was later confirmed to be connected to Anderson’s case. 

On September 30, a collaborative recovery effort involving the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, United Search Corps, Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, Sparks Heavy Rescue, Atlas Towing, and the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) successfully retrieved the vehicle.  

Human remains were found inside the vehicle. Though identification of the remains is still pending, detectives are working diligently to confirm the identity.  

This was a complex recovery operation that required immense expertise to locate and recover this newly found evidence. This discovery would not be possible without the combined efforts of multiple agencies. Our gratitude goes out to all the agencies involved.