Michael Backhaus said today that he was eternally grateful to all those who searched for his mother, Rose, who was found dead in an eastern Utah canyon last weekend.
The 54-year-old store manager and avid hiker from New Castle went missing on an excursion in the region in November. Her body was found Saturday in a slot canyon about 60 miles southwest of Green River.
An autopsy found that she died of exposure as the weather grew colder — and far beyond what her clothing was equipped for.
A massive and intensive search launched in November failed to find her.
“We really appreciate every person who looked for her,” Michael Backhaus said today. “So many people who looked for her didn’t even know her.”
Businesses in Glenwood Springs, where Backhaus managed a copy store, raised money to assist the search.
Dozens of people from Denver and Garfield County drove to Utah to help about 40 personnel from four Utah agencies.
Funeral arrangements for the grandmother of three are still pending, her son said.
