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Mystery Solved: Remains Found at Base of Utah Cliff in 2022 Identified as Jamie Leek

Human remains discovered Aug. 20, 2022, at the base of a 250‑foot cliff in Washington City, Utah, have been identified as Jamie Leek after advanced DNA testing and forensic genealogy. The Utah medical examiner ruled the cause of death blunt force trauma consistent with a fall. Othram linked the remains to a possible parent in Blair, Wisconsin, enabling investigators to confirm Leek, who left Wisconsin in 2017 and was last heard from in 2021–22. The identification has provided closure for his family.

02:37 AM, 12/03/2025Society
Mystery Solved: Remains Found at Base of Utah Cliff in 2022 Identified as Jamie Leek

More than three years after human remains were discovered at the base of a 250‑foot cliff in Washington City, Utah, authorities have confirmed the victim's identity as Jamie Leek.

Officers responded to 1400 Red Ledge Road on Aug. 20, 2022, and found a body described as "very decomposed" — largely skeletal remains with only fragments of clothing. The decedent carried no identification. Investigators initially estimated the person to be a man between 25 and 35 years old. At the time of discovery he was wearing large pants, a hoodie bearing the words "PPG Pittsburgh Paints," and athletic shoes.

"It was mainly just bones and some clothing fragments," Lieutenant Kory Klotz said, adding investigators did not know "what transpired as far as him falling or jumping, but we don't suspect any foul play."

The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner later ruled the cause of death to be blunt force trauma consistent with a fall. Identification efforts stalled for years until the Washington City Police Department secured funding this year for advanced DNA testing and forensic genealogy.

Othram, a private laboratory that specializes in forensic genealogy, analyzed DNA from the remains and identified a genetic match to a possible parent in Blair, Wisconsin. That lead allowed investigators to confirm the man as Jamie Leek, born June 15, 1973. Records indicate Leek left Wisconsin in 2017 with plans to move to Las Vegas; his family last heard from him sometime between 2021 and 2022.

Lieutenant Klotz praised Detective Thomas Lloyd for his persistent work on the case. "Getting to talk to the victim's mother and giving the family answers — that's why we do this work," Klotz said. Authorities said the identification provides long‑sought closure for Leek's relatives.

The Washington City Police Department and Othram supplied the information used to confirm the identification. The department did not immediately provide additional comment.

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