DNA comparison proves bones are those of artist Everett Ruess who disappeared 75 years ago in Utah
Remains found near Bluff belong to legendary figure.
By Ben Fulton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 06/23/2009 09:57:01 AM MDT
Brian Ruess, nephew of Everett Ruess, left, W.L "Bud" Rusho, editor of Everett Ruess' journals and letters, and Denny Bellson, who made the initial discovery Ruess' remains at a U. forum Monday. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune)
A team of geneticists at the University of Colorado in Boulder this year compared 600,000 genetic markers to prove that a pile of bones found in a small crevice near Comb Ridge in southeast Utah belonged to artist and romantic vagabond Everett Ruess.
The first public forum gathered since that find, however, showed that the mystery and allure behind the legendary figure has not cooled at all.
Almost every seat in the University of Utah's Orson Spencer Hall Auditorium was filled Monday night to hear experts narrate their firsthand accounts of the astounding find. The forum also included a niece and nephew of Ruesswho disappeared into the southern Utah wilderness more than 75 years ago: Michele and Brian Ruess.
More here:
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_12669084