Body Of Missing Lincoln County Man Found Following Search

Authorities found the body of a missing Lincoln County man on Sunday, June 19 in an area about nine miles south of Viva Naughton Reservoir.

That's according to a release from the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office, which helped several other agencies in the search effort.

The man is identified as 45-year-old Anthony "Tony" Hagler of Kemmerer. Hagler had last been seen on June 1 on surveillance footage from a Kemmerer business, according to the release.

On June 11, Lincoln County deputies were called to a report of a vehicle that had been left by the side of a road for several days. When the truck was found to be registered to Hagler, the investigation was launched. That was when the surveillance footage of Hagler was discovered. Lincoln County deputies launched a canvas search of the area where Hagler's vehicle was found but didn't turn up any clues as to his whereabouts.

The investigation continued, with the Kemmerer and Diamondville Police Departments, Bureau of Land Management, and Wyoming Game and Fish Department all joining in the investigation.

The search covered a wide area, including the Ham's Fork from the dam to Kemmerer, the desert area near where the vehicle was found, and the Dempsey Ridge area. But despite the best efforts of investigators, no clues turned up.

The release goes on to say:

''On Friday, June 17, 2022, a human remains detection team comprised of a Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue volunteer, Joyce Fett, and her canine partner, Journey, a four-yearold, female Belgian Malanois, specifically trained to find the odor of decomposing human remains, were dispatched to the area in an effort to eliminate the possibility that Hagler was deceased nearby.

During the search, K9 Journey indicated to Fett to the odor of human remains, but given prevailing wind and weather conditions, was unable to pinpoint the exact source of the odor. ''

But on Sunday morning, Hagler's body was found less than half a mile away from where the K9 had alerted to the odor of a dead body.

The release says that while investigators don't have any reason to think that Hagler was the victim of foul play, the investigation into his death is ongoing.