Body of man last seen in scuba gear is found 5 feet under water of Utah lake, cops say

A man vanished after he was seen in scuba gear at a Utah lake, deputies said.

Kyle Dean Walker, 31, was found dead in 5 feet of water at Bear Lake State Park on Monday, May 23, the Rich County Sheriff’s Office said.

His car was left abandoned at a day-use campsite overnight, according to the sheriff’s office. It was still there the next day.

“(A park employee) noted that on Sunday about midday, an individual was out in the water with scuba gear on, but the following day, the car was still in the campsite,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.

Deputies determined who owned the car and began calling family members. They said they hadn’t seen Walker since the day before.

The sheriff’s office started to search for Walker and contacted the State Parks department to help by using a boat equipped with sonar.

Rescuers found Walker’s body 5 feet under water, officials said. A dive team was called to recover his body.

Officials did not disclose a cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing as of May 24.

Bear Lake was formed 28,000 years ago by earthquakes, according to the State Parks department. The lake covers 112 square miles and is 208 feet at its deepest.

The park is about 120 miles north of Salt Lake City.

This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Body of man last seen in scuba gear is found 5 feet under water of Utah lake, cops say."