Firefighters discover decomposed body during fireworks display in St. George, UT

[Starless]

http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/k...,6296516.story

ST. GEORGE, Utah - St. George Firefighters discovered a human body in the process of extinguishing a small brush fire during the fireworks display Saturday night around 10:00 p.m. Fire officials said the body appears to have been there for an unknown amount of time and was decomposed to the point that no determination of sex could be noted.

St. George Police Investigation's Division is currently processing the scene with a State Medical Examiner Investigator from the St. George area. The body will be sent to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Salt Lake City for an autopsy and identification. The St. George Police Department Investigation's Division is reviewing all missing person open cases. At this point the Investigation is open and ongoing.

VIDEO AT LINK

[pigtail1]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/49...ffery.html.csp

Body found after St. George fireworks display identified
By Melinda Rogers

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated Jul 6, 2010 08:17PM
St. George police have tentatively identified a body found in a brush fire over the weekend as 50-year-old Randall Jeffery.

Jeffery was reported missing from the St. George area in April, said St. George police spokesman Johnny Heppler.

Police searched missing-persons reports and said evidence at the scene suggested the decomposed body is that of Jeffery, Heppler said.

He did not elaborate, citing a pending investigation.

The state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm the identity, Heppler said.

Heppler said Jeffery’s family reported him missing after they lost contact with him in April. He did not know if the man suffered from any sort of medical condition or mental health issues.

Firefighters found the body as they doused a brush fire started by the city’s fireworks display in the 400 East block of Red Hills Parkway on Saturday evening.

Melinda Rogers

[pigtail1]

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=11476840

Family of missing man relieved his body is found

July 7th, 2010 @ 10:10pm By Sandra Yi

ST. GEORGE -- A brush fire over the weekend led to police finding the body of a man who's been missing for several months. Despite the sad news, the man's family is relieved.
"For us, this is just a blessing to have closure and know where he is and know that he's in a better place," said Jeffrey's sister Lauretta Swansborough.

Randall Jeffery was living in St. George when he disappeared. His family says the discovery of his body gives them comfort for the first time in three months.

The sleepless nights are over for the family of Jeffery, age 50. The discovery of his body ends days filled with worry and fear.

"For us, this is just a blessing to have closure and know where he is and know that he's in a better place," said Jeffrey's sister Lauretta Swansborough.

Her brother's body was found at the bottom of a rocky cliff below the Red Hills Parkway in St. George.

"We had a feeling that that's where he was and we looked there, but we couldn't get to the very spot where he was," Swansborough said.

Firefighters discovered Jeffery's body July 3 while putting out a small brush fire during the city's annual fireworks display.
Randall Jeffrey's body was found at the bottom of a rocky cliff below the Red Hills Parkway in St. George.

"It was nighttime and it was kind of a semi-dangerous area, so we positioned officers around the scene to protect it until daylight," said Lt. James Van Fleet with the St. George Police Department.

When the sun came up firefighters, using ropes, recovered the body, which was badly decomposed. Authorities were first able to identify Jeffery by his jacket and a key to a storage unit he was renting.

Jeffery's family says he may have been dead since April when they reported him missing.

"We felt like he had probably passed on, and we had commented to each other several times that it's going to take a freak of nature for his body to be discovered," Swansborough said.

Relatives describe Jeffery as a loving brother who suffered after a stroke 25 years ago.

"He had some mental and physical problems as a result of that stroke, and he's had a tough time," Swansborough said. "But in our hearts, we know that he's back to the way he used to be."

How Jeffery died isn't known, but his sister says he liked to walk and may have just been exploring that area.

The medical examiner is doing an autopsy to determine the exact cause