Davis hiker found alive

BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — A man reported missing from Davis County Monday afternoon, was found nearly an hour later with his leg pinned between a boulder and a tree.

"According to him, he may have been there three days," said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Jaroscak. Police had also obtained reports of the man being missing from his home for nearly five days. However, a cell phone found locked in the man's truck had been used to make at least two calls around 5 a.m. Monday.

"His injuries are not consistent with someone who's been pinned for a long period of time," Jaroscak said. "But our major concern was for his health and welfare."

Police believe it is unlikely Steven L. Marsden's predicament would have gone unnoticed for an extended period of time. The Whipple Fork trail area where Marsden, 50, was found, is "well traveled," Jaroscak said.

At about 4:50 p.m., a man stopped to look at some sunflowers on the side of the road and heard Marsden's cries for help. Jaroscak said the man hiked about 100 yards up the trail and found Marsden incapacitated.

He returned to his vehicle, brought Marsden some water and waited until emergency personnel arrived.

Three officers then lifted a "pretty good size rock" off Marsden's leg, which was said to be swollen with blood. Marsden told police he had gone to the area to do some reading. He said he slipped or slid and the rock came down with him, Jaroscak said.

The canyon road was closed temporarily to allow a helicopter to land and then transport Marsden to University Hospital. His condition is said to be serious, but he was conscious and alert at the time of his transfer. Jaroscak said Marsden suffered minor injuries. Following an interview, deputies said that Marsden had been in a state of emotional distress and may have exaggerated his circumstances for unknown reasons.

Marsden's discovery cleared a missing person's report filed in Woods Cross at about 4 p.m. Marsden's brother had called police and reported his brother missing, saying he hadn't seen him and his tools had been left at a work site.

Woods Cross police officer Ekolu Delos Santos said police arrived at Marsden's home, near 1700 South and 1500 West, and "half expected to find a body inside." They entered through a window that was left open on the second floor but found nothing out of the ordinary, he said.

The house was secure, and Delos Santos said "it appeared he'd been gone a couple of days."

"Nobody had been there for a while," he said.