ECSO Press Release
A 24-year-old man lost his life in a hiking accident in a side canyon of Cottonwood Canyon above Orangeville on Thursday. The victim has been identified as Matthew J. Schnitzer from New York.
Schnitzer had been camping in the area for about a week. He and a friend were hiking on Thursday, April 22. The friend decided to return to camp, taking a different route, but Schnitzer continued hiking. When Schnitzer failed to return to camp, the friend started looking for him. He placed a light on the hood of his vehicle near camp in hopes that Schnitzer might see the light in case he had lost his way back. The friend searched until midnight, and then resumed searching at 7 a.m. on Friday. After failing to locate Schnitzer, the friend located authorities.
Personnel from Emery County Sheriff’s Office and Emery County Search and Rescue searched on the ground and the State DPS helicopter searched from above. The helicopter crew located Schnitzer’s body at the bottom of an 80-foot cliff.
It appears that Schnitzer lost his footing on the slope above the cliff and slid off the edge. The helicopter crew used a hoist to lower state personnel to the location of the body. The helicopter then transported Schnitzer’s body from the scene and family was notified.
