UPDATE (8:27 pm) Police have identified the 26-year-old man who died while climbing an extremely challenging trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon Sunday afternoon.
Sgt. Melody Cutler, Unified Police, said the body of Andrew Acuff was recovered by search and rescue crews earlier Sunday afternoon after falling an estimated 200 feet.
Acuff was to meet with a group of friends but didn’t show up. A short time later, hikers in the area found his body and called authorities.
It took SAR crews several hours to recover the man’s body.
SAR and UPD are wanting to warn others considering hiking this trail to understand it is for very skilled and experienced hikers and should not be attempted by those who are inexperienced.
SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) – Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team is trying to locate and recover the body of a hiker in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Officials say the hiker is a 26-year-old man, but have not yet released his identity.
Officials believe the man was traveling the Wasatch Uintah Ridgeline Trail when he fell down about 200 feet at a 40 degree slope.
The man’s body was discovered by other hikers who were in the area near O’Sullivan Peak on Sunday afternoon.
Currently, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has sent a helicopter to retrieve the body as the terrain near the area is quite steep.
Search and Rescue officials say the trail is quite dangerous for hikers who are inexperienced.
ABC4 will update this story when more information becomes available.