A man who died in an estimated 400-foot fall from Willow Gulch in the Escalante Arm of Lake Powell in Utah last month has been identified, authorities said Tuesday.
Kane County Sheriff’s officials said the victim was 49-year-old Cory James Christensen and his last known address was Flagstaff, Arizona.
They said information and keys found inside the backpack Christensen he was wearing when he fell on Oct. 8 led to a search for a vehicle.
It was located in a Garfield County parking lot about eight miles south of Escalante and about 35 miles from the location of the fall.
Based on conversations investigators had with eyewitnesses elsewhere in his travels, it’s believed Christensen was traveling alone.
Sheriff’s officials said bicycle parts were found in Christensen’s backpack and investigators are considering the possibility that he rode an off-road bike from his vehicle to an area near Willow Gulch.
The fatal fall remains under investigation by the county Sheriff’s Office, the National Park Service and the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office.