A man searching for lost deer antlers in a remote mountainous region of Utah came across the human skeletal remains of a man who went missing in 2019, authorities said Friday.
The shed hunter was in the Hansel Mountains, southeast of Snowville, on April 27 when he alerted deputies to the presence of skeletal remains, the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office said.
Box Elder County deputies and a search and rescue team responded to the scene and recovered the skeletal remains. The remains were turned over to the Utah medical examiner's office, which used dental records to identify them as Matthew Broncho.
No details on Broncho's cause of death were immediately available.
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Broncho was reported missing on March 24, 2019, from Fort Hall, Idaho. He was then 35 years old. (Fort Hall Police Department)
“We extend our condolences to the family of Matthew Broncho,” the sheriff’s office said. “While this is difficult news to receive and there are still unanswered questions, we hope they will find some comfort in knowing he has been found.”
A search and rescue team was seen combing an area of the Hansel Mountains near Snowville, Utah, on April 27 after a shed hunter reported finding human skeletal remains. (Box Elder County Sheriff's Office)
Broncho, of Fort Hall, Idaho, was 35 years old when he was reported missing on March 24, 2019. Broncho's dog was also reported missing.
The Fort Hall Police Department then notified the Sheriff's Office that a pickup truck belonging to Broncho had been found on I-84, Exit 7 in Snowville. Broncho's wallet and phone were found inside the truck.
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The sheriff's office launched a search and found Broncho's dog wandering a few miles west of Snowville on March 27, 2019.
A missing person poster for Matthew Broncho. After Broncho's remains were discovered April 27, the sheriff's office said the investigation remained active, although no further details were immediately available. (Fort Hall Police Department)
Although several agencies and volunteers joined in the initial search efforts, Broncho was not found at that time. A joint investigation between the Sheriff's Office and the Fort Hall Police Department had been underway since Broncho's disappearance.
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The sheriff's office said the investigation remains active and no further information is available at this time.