The body of Kenneth Schneider has been discovered in the canyon country of San Juan County more than five years after he disappeared.

On April 14, campers discovered human remains in a sandy wash in the North Cottonwood drainage. Investigators returned to the site in the past week and found the body, which contained identification.

Schneider was 78 years old when his abandoned vehicle was discovered 13 miles south of the Dugout Ranch in October, 2005. Officials quickly mounted a search effort in an attempt to locate Schneider before winter weather restricted access to the area.

The search was fruitless. Schneider left a note in the vehicle stating it was stuck and he was walking to the Dugout Ranch. He never arrived and officials surmised that he had succumbed to the elements.

In the intervening years since Schneider’s disappearance, no additional information was found, leading many to wonder what happened to the retired author. His body was found approximately 3.1 miles from where the vehicle was abandoned.