Police say remains found of suspect in 2010 ranger shooting

SALT LAKE CITY – Remains of a man police believe shot and wounded a state park ranger in 2010 and eluded more than 100 officers in a desert manhunt were found Thursday, authorities said.

Skeletal remains believed to be those of Lance Leeroy Arellano were discovered in a narrow cave near Moab, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

More than 100 officers spent days searching rugged desert canyons and caves for Arellano after identifying him as the suspect in the shooting of Utah park ranger Brody Young.

Young, who was 34 at the time, survived the shooting with injuries to his arm, leg and abdomen.

Gary Lewis, a manager of Young’s motivational speaking business, said police contacted Young seeking help identifying the remains. He noted the Christmas Eve discovery marked the five-year anniversary of the day Young returned from the hospital.

“He’s made a complete recovery but he still carries around four bullets,” Lewis said.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said a college student discovered the remains in the cave. Nearby was a bag containing a handgun and ammunition.

Caleb Shumway, a 23-year-old Utah Valley University student, told the Associated Press he and his 15-year-old brother had spent two weeks searching for Arellano – a mission their officer father helped with five years earlier. A $30,000 reward for Arellano was part of the draw, Shumway said.

Shumway added resolving the case was a big thing for the Moab community. “There’s lots of closure that would come with finding this guy because no one really knew if he was dead or alive,” he said.