Man falls, dies while searching for missing woman in Carbon County

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A man fell and died while searching for missing woman DeEtte Spencer in Carbon County.
Authorities urge the public not to self-deploy as the search area has dangerous conditions.
Spencer, 69, has been missing since February in remote, harsh terrain, officials said.

PRICE — A central Utah sheriff's office is urging the public to not "self-deploy" on search missions after a man fell and died over the weekend when he tried to locate a woman who has been missing in remote territory since February.

Joshua Dovayak, 48, fell while he was searching for a missing person, according to the Carbon County Sheriff's Office. Additional details of Dovayak's death were not available, except that it occurred in the search area for DeEtte Spencer in Cottonwood Dugway in Nine Mile Canyon.

"The sheriff's office wishes to emphasize that this individual was acting on his own and was not part of an official or organized search operation," the office said. It was not clear what connection Dovayak had to Spencer.

Spencer, 69, was first reported missing in February when family members said Spencer hadn't been seen for a week after leaving her daughter's home in Rangely, Colorado. She was supposed to be driving to her home in Escalante, but instead ended up in the Price area — an entirely different direction.

A new search for Spencer began in May after an oil field worker discovered her vehicle abandoned in a remote area near Nine Mile Canyon. Family members believe Spencer's car became stuck in the rugged terrain, and they think she likely left the vehicle on foot, carrying her purse and keys.

The search zone for Spencer encompasses "extremely remote and rugged terrain," the sheriff's office said. It is especially dangerous when adding in the weather conditions that are currently "harsh and unpredictable" from temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and risk of flash flooding due to sudden monsoonal rainfall in the region, officials added.

"For the safety of the community and search personnel, the sheriff's office urgently asks members of the public NOT to self-deploy or enter the search area on their own. Uncoordinated, independent search efforts in these extreme environments pose serious risks to personal safety and create significant hazards for emergency response teams," the agency said.

Professional search and rescue teams are being thoroughly utilized, the sheriff's office said, exhausting "all viable avenues, resources and leads in this search area at this time."

Spencer's case is still being monitored, and the office will update the public if any new information becomes available.

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