Found Deceased UT - Steven Willard Anderson, 46, Salt Lake City, 3 June 2004

[Gardener1850]

Steven Willard Anderson

• 

Anderson, circa 2004

• Missing Since 06/03/2004
• Missing From Salt Lake County, Utah
• Classification Missing
• Date of Birth 10/22/1957 (61)
• Age 46 years old
• Height and Weight 5'11, 235 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes.

Details of Disappearance
Anderson was last seen in Salt Lake County, Utah on June 3, 2004. He left to go paint his family's cabin at Flaming Gorge, but apparently never arrived there. He has never been heard from again. Anderson was driving a leased green Toyota at the time of his disappearance; it has never been recovered. Few details are available in his case.

Steven Willard Anderson – The Charley Project

https://updsl.org/page_coldCases.php

 

[kporter]

Just a few tidbits to add something to this profile. In February of 2004, Steven was cited for speeding in a school zone. He paid the fine ($158) on May 19, 2004, just two weeks before he disappeared. He owed some child support as of June 2004, but in prior years he had occasionally accumulated some back support and paid it off. I didn't find any serious legal trouble for him or his business, Pro Fitness Training.

 

[ekardh]

Few details to go on here. Normally, when someone disappears during a long drive, and the car isn't recovered, it's assumed they crashed into a body of water, or off an cliff. Is there anywhere like on that the route to Flaming Gorge?

 

[JnRyan]

His case has been updated in The Charley Project.
Steven Willard Anderson – The Charley Project

Five photos added and Details of Disappearance updated. He disappeared in a leased vehicle. I'm guessing the vehicle, since it hasn't been found either, did not have any sort of tracking system such OnStar or similar. Strange that this summary mentions the vehicle but no license #.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Steven Willard Anderson - Missing since June 3, 2004​

47 YOA -- Missing since 6/3/04
W/M 5’11/235 bro/blu
Left to paint family cabin in Flaming Gorge. Dad checked at cabin and he had never arrived. Vehicle was a lease and neither vehicle or Steven were located.
Case #04-60317
Case Status:Open

Cold Cases | Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake

updsl.org

 

[Just_Judi]

He appears to be saluting in one of the Charley Project photos. Is anyone aware of any military in his background?

 

[VaYank5150]

Based on Google Maps, the fastest route between Salt Lake City and Flamingo Gorge would have been I-80. MOST of this route would have been along the interstate and with this case being only back from 2004, I am going to assume that had someone wrecked along that interstate that it would have been noticed.
The interesting part comes into play around Flamingo Gorge. The Green River snakes through that area and while RT 530 is the most prominent road, I see multiple other smaller roads and they are all close to the river. Does anyone know if LE has done any searching in the river?

 

[dub]

He appears to be saluting in one of the Charley Project photos. Is anyone aware of any military in his background?

I think he does have a military background, yeah.

This case is briefly discussed on the True Crime BS podcast (in relation to Steven potentially being an Israel Keyes victim), and I’m pretty sure they do mention that he was ex-military.

I believe it was in s5e6 of the podcast.

 

[renaebri]

Earlier this year Doug Bishop of United Search Corps and HeavyDSparks met with Detective Ben Pender of Unified Police Department to go over the case details, as well as with Steven's family.
They searched several water locations with sonar in Flaming Gorge including Cedar Springs Marina, Mustang Ridge Ramp, and around the dam, Cart Creek Bridge, and the campground.
A pond on Hwy 44 (40.84283, -109.64534) was also attempted to be searched with sonar despite being covered in ice.

New info from this video is that he had gotten gas in town on the way to the cabin and he had tried to pick his teenage son up to go with him, but his son had a birthday party to go to, so he did not go with him.

The exact route of their search is available on OnX but can't be viewed without an account/subscription?
onX Offroad...
The video of their search is here:

 

[DS2021]

UT Post in thread 'UT- Starvation Reservoir, car with a body inside, pulled out of the water, Salt Lake, 30 Sep; '24, *related to 20 yr. cold case*'

Oct 1, 2024

case.The car was found by Doug Bishop with United Search Corps, a nonprofit that specializes in missing person cases. He has been working with Dave Sparks, of Sparks Motors and the reality TV show Diesel Brothers, for the past six months on this cold case.'

Post in thread 'UT - Steven Willard Anderson, 46, Salt Lake City, 3 June 2004' UT - UT - Steven Willard Anderson, 46, Salt Lake City, 3 June 2004

Id say its him

• DS2021

• 

Sounds like they may have found him

 

[nhmemorymaker]

UT Post in thread 'UT- Starvation Reservoir, car with a body inside, pulled out of the water, Salt Lake, 30 Sep; '24, *related to 20 yr. cold case*'

Oct 1, 2024

case.The car was found by Doug Bishop with United Search Corps, a nonprofit that specializes in missing person cases. He has been working with Dave Sparks, of Sparks Motors and the reality TV show Diesel Brothers, for the past six months on this cold case.'

Post in thread 'UT - Steven Willard Anderson, 46, Salt Lake City, 3 June 2004' UT - UT - Steven Willard Anderson, 46, Salt Lake City, 3 June 2004

Id say its him

• DS2021

• 

Sounds like they may have found him

Looks like the match, for sure

 

[mlhenn]

A Murray father went missing 20 years ago. After his vehicle was found in a reservoir, his family now has some answers.

Steven Willard Anderson, a Murray father, disappeared 20 years ago. In 2024, outside investigators found his missing vehicle, and his family thinks they may finally have some understanding of what happened to him.

www.sltrib.com

But the question of what happened to Steven Anderson — who on June 3, 2004, left his father’s home in Murray to drive to the family’s cabin in Flaming Gorge and never arrived — has troubled his family for 20 years.

On Sept. 30, investigators recovered a 2001 green Toyota Sequoia from Starvation Reservoir. Officials believe the car is an exact match to the car Steven Anderson last drove.

Investigators have not yet confirmed that the body found in the car was Steven Anderson’s. However, the possibility that the search is over has given the Anderson siblings the sense that the mystery may be ending.

 

[mlhenn]

A Murray father went missing 20 years ago. After his vehicle was found in a reservoir, his family now has some answers.

Steven Willard Anderson, a Murray father, disappeared 20 years ago. In 2024, outside investigators found his missing vehicle, and his family thinks they may finally have some understanding of what happened to him.

www.sltrib.com

It wasn’t until Jessica, Steven’s second wife, gave Bishop the last clue to solve the case.

Instead of a northern path to Flaming Gorge – a Wyoming route the family “always” remembered taking – Jessica shared that she and Steven would travel to Flaming Gorge via U.S. Highway 40, a southern route through Heber City.

Bishop “didn’t even make one lap around the lake,” said Sparks, who looked at the GPS tracking of the event, before he “found his target.”

The next day, just after 6:30 p.m., the Toyota Sequoia, coated in grime, was recovered.

(Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office) Investigators on Sept. 30, 2024, recovered Steven Anderson's green Toyota Sequoia, the vehicle he drove the day of his disappearance

 

[tarabull]

Snipped...
...Remains found in a car submerged 50 feet deep in a Utah reservoir belong to a father missing for 20 years, sheriff’s officials said.

Testing confirmed the remains belonged to Steven Willard Anderson, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 11 emailed news release.

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/nation-world/national/article300138964.html

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The former cold case caught the attention of Doug Bishop from United Search Corps, a nonprofit that specializes in missing person cases, and Dave Sparks, a Utah entrepreneur and internet personality. The pair chronicled their search efforts in videos posted to YouTube and began working with law enforcement last spring.

Remains found in Utah reservoir confirmed to be man missing for 20 years

Steven Willard Anderson, 46, who went missing in 2004 has been found inside a submerged car in a Utah reservoir.

www.cbsnews.com