Teen dies when car plunges into canyon near Snowbird

LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON — A 16-year-old boy was killed when his car plunged 70 feet off Little Cottonwood Road near Snowbird.

Mowlid Ali, whose family is originally from Somalia and now lives in South Jordan, was pronounced dead at the scene.

About 11 p.m. Monday, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office was called to a vehicle found on its hood in the parking lot near Snowbird's No. 3 entry. Investigators believe the vehicle was traveling down the canyon when it went off the road near a curve, said Lt. Paul Jaroscak.

Investigators said there was no evidence the car bounced or rolled down the hill before it hit the parking lot, meaning it likely dropped the entire 70 feet in the air.

Jaroscak said it was unknown Tuesday morning whether someone at Snowbird heard the accident and called it in right after it happened, or if someone just happened to come across it. There were no witnesses to the actual crash.

Investigators were unsure Tuesday why the car went off the road.

"There were no skid marks ... nothing to indicate what led to the accident. No evidence of alcohol or drugs," Jaroscak said.

Toxicology tests to determine conclusively whether the driver was impaired were expected to take a few weeks to complete. There was no ice or snow on the road Monday night, he said.

Ali's family told detectives Monday night that the last they heard from their son, he had called on a cell phone to say he was either lost or stuck, Jaroscak said.