Found Deceased UT - Ray Humpherys, 66, Summit County, 18 Jul 2018

cybervampira

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MISSING ADULT: South Jordan man never returned to camp in Summit County

We are currently searching for Ray Humpherys. He has been missing since 10pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Our dedicated professionals are working hard to locate Ray. Thank you to the many people and organizations assisting in the search.

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Summit County Sheriff - Utah

More from the first link:

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 66-year-old, Ray Humpherys, of South Jordan, who did not return to camp in the Hidden Lake area of the Wasatch Cache National Forest.

Summit County Sheriff’s deputies and Summit County Search and Rescue members were immediately activated and are currently searching for Humpherys who was reported missing Thursday.

He has not been seen since Wednesday, at approximately 10 p.m.

He elderly man was last seen wearing a black jacket and vest, gray shirt, tan/grayish pants, and was wearing a hat.

Humpherys is 6-feet, 1-inches tall and 190 pounds. He has short gray hair, and no facial hair.
 
Officials searching for South Jordan man who did not return to campsite in Uinta Mountains

Family members said he was due back at camp about 10 p.m. Wednesday but did not return at that time, according to Martinez.

Hidden Lake is north of the Crystal Lake trailhead area, west of Mirror Lake Highway.

Family members said they were camping about 40 yards away from the lake, and Humpherys had gone to get water for the fire from the lake but didn't come back, according to Summit County Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Wright.

The family was on an annual backpacking trip, and Humpherys is in healthy hiking shape, Wright said.

Um 40 yards away? I feel like that’s in yelling distance, he should have been right back!
 
Facebook: Ray Humpherys

According to a press release, Ray Humpherys, 66, of South Jordan, did not return to the campground Wednesday evening. His family contacted the Summit County Sheriff's Office at around 12:30 p.m. Thursday. He had not been found as of Friday morning.

Lt. Andrew Wright with the Sheriff's Office said Humphreys' family takes an annual backpacking trip and are avid hikers. He said Humphreys was with several of his children when he went missing.

"When the family went to bed around 10 p.m. Wednesday, he told them he was going to the lake about 40 yards away to get water to put out the fire," he said. "That was the last anyone saw or heard of him, and it's unclear if anyone knows whether he came back to the camp and grabbed some supplies."
UPDATE: Crews on Friday still searching for missing man near Hidden Lake

The most recent photo posted on his Facebook from just about a week ago looks like it could have been from the same trip. I don’t know what to think here, what happened right when he first didn’t return around 10 pm until 12:30 next day??
 
This same month a year ago a man around the same age went missing in the same general area (crystal lake trailhead).

UT - UT - Melvin Heaps, 75, hiker, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 31 July 2017

Still has not been found.

At least I think they are the same area, I was able to locate Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake trailhead on a map, but not Hidden Lake.

Anyone local??

Yes.

You are correct, same area.

Hidden Lake revealed in the Uinta Mountains

They aren't the only ones. Garrett Bardsley was never recovered. Cumberant Lakes is also in Summit county.

Closure quest: Hundreds rally to help family comb Uintas for remains of missing boy

There HAVE been people found. They don't all vanish. But it always makes me cringe when it's this area.
 
MsF, what is it about this area in particular that makes people go missing?
 
Pictures of the general area here:

uinta mountains - Google Search


MsF, what is it about this area in particular that makes people go missing?

I don't know, because they are generally experienced outdoors people. It's vast, it's breathtakingly gorgeous, it's easy to get lost in for sure. I'm not surprised that people DO go missing, it's how quickly it occurs that mystifies me.

I've been on a couple of searches up there with good outcomes. After Garrett Bardsley's disappearance, we searched with his Dad actually. So it does happen. Only reason I'm not up there now is because all the other adults are in the mountains or out of town, so I'm home with the kids.

There are so many trees that you can't always spot people from the air unless they come out into a clearing (that's how one little boy was seen.) Some of the terrain isn't conducive to searching with vehicles or on foot. Some won't work for horses.

It's just very challenging and diverse area to search. There is also not cell phone service in most of it either which complicates things.

However, there are also a lot of people up there hiking, camping and fishing this time of year. It's 10-15 degrees cooler than in the city, so we all flock up there. So the odds of running into someone if you are lost are probably better now.

Many of these lakes are up near family reunions, girls camps, boys camps and summer camps. You still have to be in the right area but the odds of accidentally finding a missing person are the highest right now (still, it's very vast.)

Of course, if people have been up there without cell service they don't know he's missing anyway unless authorities have been through notifying people.

There is abundant wildlife. Lots of deer, that's what you see most commonly. I have seen moose on a few occasions. I've seen a black bear once and that was enough for me.

I know there are elk, coyote, mountain goats, mountain lions and bighorn sheep and rattlesnakes but I haven't seen them up there personally.

It is really like looking for a needle in a giant haystack that also has hundreds of other needles in it, so you have to find the RIGHT needle. It's not an enviable task to search up there at all.
 
Every facebook post has his last name spelled wrong so I wasn't finding anything. They have it as Humphrey's on facebook.

Ray was a teacher and has quite a fan base of former students. He has a large family as well.

I wish I could help search. This man reminds me a lot of my own grandfather. He is a very young man! Definitely not "elderly" and is very active and capable.

I so want him to come home safely.
 
I hope they find him. It’s just so baffling that he could be going within 40 yards of his family and then just vanish without a trace! Unless something else happened to him?

He just seems like a relatable dad/uncle/grandparent. Hoping for a miracle. Or at least something to bring his family peace.
 
He reminds me very much of my own grandfather even before I realized they share a first name. I wanted to go up there today but my MIL showed up unexpectedly! I am not happy.

Please let this have a happy ending. I know how devastating losing my Grandpa was and he was 20 years older than Ray. He is my DAD'S age. He's just too young.

It is baffling how fast people disappear up there. Though I can see how, I lost track of a child up there once for a few minutes and it was terrifying! With an adult who knows what to do though, it's very odd.
 

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