Johnathan Doerr
The body of the Tooele man who went missing last Thursday has been found, according to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier Tuesday, the missing person investigation for Johnny Doerr, 19, was turned over by the Tooele City Police Department to the sheriff’s office after Doerr’s silver 1997 Honda Accord was located, Tooele City Police Cpl. Tanya Turnbow said.
Doerr was last seen by his family when he left for a job interview at EnergySolutions off Interstate 80’s Exit 49 in Tooele County’s West Desert the morning of Jan. 26.
Tooele County Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Johnson said Doerr’s vehicle was found by a rancher on an unmaintained dirt road almost 16 miles south of I-80 near the Clive exit. Tooele County Search and Rescue searched the area around the car and eventually discovered Doerr’s body several miles away.
Doerr’s vehicle became stuck on the roadway and evidence indicates he attempted to free the car by digging it free and using clothing and a piece of metal to attempt to regain traction, according to Johnson. When investigators attempted to start the car on Wednesday, the dash lights turned on but the engine would not turn over.
The gas gauge read empty when police tried to start the car but Johnson said they are unsure if the reading was accurate since it would not start.
It appears that Doerr attempted to walk to Energy Solutions, Johnson said. His body was found about a half mile south of the perimeter fence and he had walked for several miles at that point.
While an autopsy has not yet been completed, Doerr’s cause of death is believed to be exposure to extreme elements, according to Johnson. The sheriff’s office does not believe there is any reason to suspect foul play.
It’s possible that Doerr got off I-80 at an earlier exit and became lost, but the route he took is still unknown, Johnson said. While Doerr had a phone, it did not have a sim card and could only be used with a wireless internet connection.
The Tooele City Police Department opened a missing person case for Doerr after he left for the Energy Solutions interview and did not contact his family after the interview should have been completed.
There is no requirement to wait 24 hours to notify police that a person may be missing or endangered, Turnbow said.