The remains of a missing Kansas man have been found in a Utah ravine, and it appears he ran off the road and flipped his vehicle, then became trapped in the wreckage. While he left behind love notes and letters to his family, police say they are still left with too many unanswered questions.
54-year old David Welch left on a spur-of-the-moment road trip on September 2 without telling his family where he was going, authorities say. At some point during his drive, he ran off the road, and police believe he fell asleep while driving. After realizing he was trapped in the car–which was down in a ravine–Welch penned notes to his wife of 32 years and their four sons. The contents of the letters haven’t been released, but they have been handed over to his family.
On October 18, someone walking on the side of the road spotted Welch’s vehicle and reported it to police. Now, officials say they would like some answers as to why Welch was nearly 1,000 miles from his home, but at least his family can now have some closure as to his whereabouts. They had been searching for him for weeks.
“Dave was entrapped in the vehicle down the 50-foot ravine, he wrote each of us a love note,” Welch’s wife, Kelly, wrote on Twitter. “He knew he was dying and there was no way out.”
Authorities say they aren’t sure how long he survived in the vehicle, but from his writings they believe it could have been several days, if not weeks. Welch was injured, but even if he hadn’t been trapped, the nearest town was 50 miles away.
According to an obituary on a funeral home’s site, Welch was a former Pepsi Co. employee.
“He enjoyed working outdoors and landscaping his yard, spending time in and around the ocean, SCUBA diving, snow skiing, and time at the Konza Prairie. He loved to help others in their time of need no matter what the project or the situation. David had a very strong faith and lived life for the Lord. He was an incredibly loving and caring husband, father and grandfather, and friend,” the obituary said.
Image: YMLFuneralHome.com