Bodies found in Emery County

After following a pair of tracks in the snow, an Emery County Sheriff's deputy found the bodies of a West Valley City couple.

Deputies came upon an abandoned Cadillac on state Route 29 between Orangeville and Ephraim. Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guyman told the Deseret Morning News it appears the couple froze to death while trying to head back to their car. The snow on the road is about four feet deep, he said.

"The road is gravel and impassable during the winter months from just west of Joe's Valley Reservoir to just east of Ephraim," the Emery County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Wednesday. "It was reported that the vehicle was either stuck or broken down and was in the middle of the road. There was no one around the vehicle."

The vehicle was registered to Elton and Loafae Palmer of West Valley. City police tried to contact them by going to their house on Tuesday but were unable to find anyone.

Meanwhile, an Emery County deputy followed a pair of tracks in the snow for about 3/4 of a mile. Searchers on Tuesday eventually found Loafae Palmer's body about three miles west of the car. Elton Palmer's body was found about 1/2 mile further away.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com