Human bones discovered by hikers earlier this month near Upper Big Water Trail in Millcreek Canyon have been identified as that of 24-year-old Blake Richardson, who disappeared in December.
The Unified Police Department had said it believed the remains could be Richardson’s — he was reported missing after going to Millcreek Canyon in December — but the identification was not confirmed by the medical examiner and police officials until Wednesday.
Hikers found the bones 50-100 yards from the trail, about a mile from the Upper Big Water trailhead. Police did not release a cause of death Wednesday.
Authorities reported that Richardson suffered from mental illness and wasn’t prepared for the cold when he disappeared in December. He was last seen Dec. 10 in the Dog Lake area of Millcreek Canyon, when he asked some hikers for food. UPD officers subsequently called to the scene could not find him.
Richardson had walked away from the Salt Lake Behavioral Health Center, 3802 S. 700 East, on Dec. 7. His father found him, and he returned to the center Dec. 9, but he was not formally committed.
The next day, he left to take his dog for a walk and didn’t return. The dog turned up in the Evergreen picnic area of Millcreek Canyon about a week later.