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ST. GEORGE – Detectives with the St. George Police Department are investigating the cause of death after finding a 29-year-old St. George man at the bottom of a cliff in the Southgate area.
Capt. Kyle Whitehead said dispatch was called at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday on a missing person call. The man had apparently been hanging out with a friend near a water tank on top of a hill that overlooks the Virgin River.
Whitehead said it is a popular place for people to hang out, talk and drink; though he added that he does not know if alcohol or drugs were involved.
The friend left for an unknown reason, Whitehead said. When he returned, the man was gone. Friends began searching for him before calling police.
Whitehead said that although it was dark and officers were cautious, they conducted a search that evening because they did not want to leave the missing man behind in case he was in need of help.
At 4:30 a.m., the man’s body was discovered at the bottom of the cliff. An autopsy has been scheduled and Whitehead said they are investigating whether the man fell, jumped or was pushed.
“We just don’t know,” he said.
Whitehead said the man’s family is in Wyoming and does not believe he is originally from St. George. He is believed to be living here alone. Whitehead said they are not releasing the man’s name until Monday when they can confirm family has been notified.
Initially, officers only had a phone number for the man’s father and did not have any other contact information for family, he said.
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