Body found on Mount Ogden identified as missing WSU student

OGDEN — Police have identified the body found on Mount Ogden as missing Weber State University student Juan Pablo Brant.

Brant, 27, was discovered by members of the Snowbasin Ski Patrol on Jan. 22 in what Weber County sheriff's officials said was "about as high up on the mountain as you can get." Brant had apparently been missing since Jan. 14.

Friday, it was announced that the medical examiner had identified Brant.

Allison Barlow Hess, director of public relations at WSU, said Brant was last seen on Jan. 4. Classes didn't begin until Jan. 7 and Brant's roommate reported the man missing on Jan. 14.

She said Brant liked to frequent the foothills and trails of Mount Ogden. As there was no sign of foul play and no indication that there was any type of mental health or emotional situation that would have prompted the man to leave, it is believed the man may have simply been unprepared for the conditions.

He was found wearing a light sweater, Levi's and loafer-type shoes, police said.

Brant is believed to have gone up between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10 and may have been caught in a winter storm, Hess said. After the storm that rolled in on Jan. 10, officials don't believe Brant could have trekked as high as he was.

Hess said the man's family is all out-of-state as he was raised in California and Washington state. Brant was working toward a bachelor of Integrated Studies, which allows a student to pick three areas of emphasis.

"I know the police are always concerned about the well-being and safety of all of our students," Hess said. "They made it their top priority in doing whatever they could for one of our adult students."

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