From Deseret News archives:
BYU coed's body is found at bottom of cliff
The body was found at 3:31 p.m. at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff, about 1,000 yards east of Bridal Veil Falls, Utah County Sheriff James O. Tracy said in a press conference. The remains were identified based on clothing articles found at the scene.
Authorities had not determined by about 5 p.m. Sunday how Cleverley died but said she succumbed to her injuries.
"The fall distance was considerable," Tracy said. "At this point and time it appears that a fall was involved."
Tracy said that a team of detectives will look over the scene tonight. However, until their investigation is complete and a coroner's report is finished, officials won't rule out anything, including suicide and foul play.
Tracy said that searchers have looked near the area where Cleverley's body was found three or four times since she went missing Aug. 30 but just missed finding the young woman. The area is covered with scrub oak.
"It's so dense in that area literally if they would have gone 10 feet to the right or to the left they would have missed her," he said.
Officials have not yet determined when Cleverley died.
Provo Police Chief Craig Geslison addressed reporters Sunday after Tracy was finished speaking. His office has worked closely with the sheriff's office in the recovery efforts.
"There's a sense of relief," he said. "This brings some sort of closure."
Arnold Lemmon, a spokesperson from BYU, said, "President (Cecil) Samuelson extends his condolences. We're glad that we know where she is."
Cleverley's body will be carried off the mountain tonight, Tracy said. The process will take a few hours.
A candlelight vigil scheduled for 8 p.m. at the BYU Baseball Park will go forward as planned.
It's been 10 days since Cleverley was last seen alive on a purple and silver Schwinn mountain bike riding north on 900 East near the LDS Missionary Training Center.
Until Sunday, law enforcement's best clue to Cleverley's whereabouts had been a mountain bike that was turned over to police Thursday, said Provo Police Lt. John Guyerman. The Schwinn had been taken from a bike rack near Bridal Veil Falls.
Police identified the bike as Cleverley's Saturday by comparing her bank records with receipts from ShopKo, where she purchased the bike in June. After searching Cleverley's Provo apartment, police found a key that unlocked the bike lock found at Bridal Veil Falls.
The FBI is in the process of evaluating the results of a polygraph given to David Sperry, Cleverley's boyfriend. Sperry voluntarily submitted to the test Friday and "tentatively passed," according to a statement issued Saturday by Provo police.
"He's been real cooperative," Guyerman said.
Saturday, for the second day in a row, police combed the treacherous mountainsides surrounding Bridal Veil Falls. In Provo, more than 600 volunteers walked door to door with photos of Cleverley, searching trash cans and bushes for signs of the missing woman. As part of the search effort several groups of volunteers looked for Cleverley along canyon trails.
E-mail: estuart@desnews.com
Recent comments
The crimes were a curfew violation and the stealing of a bike. Let's...
To Brooke | Sept. 10, 2007 at 1:39 p.m.
It may be that the police arent booking these teens by request of...
Frank | Sept. 10, 2007 at 1:15 p.m.
My deep felt condonlances to the family and to the boyfriend. It...
BYUmom | Sept. 10, 2007 at 12:48 p.m.
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