Utah Sheriff Is Counting on Autopsy For Clues in Manhole Body Mystery

Carbon County Sheriff James Cordova said Tuesday he was hoping the state medical examiner will be able to narrow down a time of death for a man found dead inside a sewer system just below a manhole cover.

Dec. 16, 2011

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The man's body was badly decomposed, but given the effects of recent damp weather and the flow of water through the pipeline near the U.S. High 6 interchange with the Price business loop, trying to determine when he died remained guesswork, the sheriff said.

"They were doing the autopsy today," Cordova said Tuesday. "I don't expect to have any preliminary results until Wednesday or even later this week."

Cordova would not discuss whether deputies found any obvious signs of trauma or gunshot wounds, but he did confirm the case continued to be investigated Tuesday as a homicide.

Crews doing routine inspection of the sewer system lifted the manhole cover about 10:30 a.m. Monday, only to find the body wedged below. It was so badly decomposed that deputies could not determine approximate age or ethnicity of the victim.

Further complicating the case: The man was carrying no identification.

Cordova admitted the discovery was one of his worst experiences as sheriff.

"I've been in law enforcement now for 27 years, and I've never run into anything like this before," the sheriff said.

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Sheriff counting on autopsy for clues into man's death