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DNA Confirms Foot Found at Fish Lake Belonged to Fisherman Missing Since 1997

Forensic testing matched the remains to White with 99.9994% certainty, bringing closure to Utah’s oldest cold case.

David White went fishing by his lonesome in September 1997 on Fish Lake in Utah. He disappeared shortly thereafter, leading to years of searches. His foot recently washed ashore, with DNA analysis confirming it belonged to White.

Overview

  • Authorities officially identified a human foot recovered in a hiking boot at Fish Lake on May 16 as belonging to David White, who vanished while fishing in September 1997.
  • The Utah Medical Examiner’s Office and Bode Cellmark Forensics conducted DNA analysis that returned a 99.9994% match between the remains and a sample from White’s daughter.
  • Investigators linked the boot to White’s disappearance by confirming it was a model manufactured only in 1996.
  • With no evidence of foul play, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office announced on August 5 that it had closed the missing person investigation and will conduct no further searches.
  • The discovery and identification have provided long-awaited closure for White’s family and the search-and-rescue teams involved in the initial 1997 efforts.