Rose Backhaus, 54, Missing Since 11/16/08, Newcastle, Utah [REMAINS FOUND]

[Faith]

New Castle woman goes missing
Did not return to home or work after a hiking trip to Moab

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

http://gpimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GP&Date=20081118&Category=VALLEYNEWS&ArtNo=811189990&Ref=AR&Profile=1083&maxw=300&MaxH=300

NEW CASTLE — The last time anyone saw Rose Backhaus was when she checked out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab, Utah to go hiking Sunday morning.

“I believe she’s alive and that’s where I’m sticking,” said her son, Michael Backhaus, as he drove along Interstate 70 Tuesday searching for any signs of his mother.

Rose Backhaus, 54, of New Castle, planned a weekend hiking trip to Moab with a friend. But she ended up going alone after the friend got sick and backed out.

“That’s very typical of my mom,” Michael Backhaus said. “She went on her own. She’s very independent and she loves the outdoors.”

Rose Backhaus is originally from Denver. She lived in the area for around seven years and is a manager at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs. Her roommate, Deb Davis, was concerned when she didn’t return to New Castle as planned Sunday night. Things seemed more unusual when Backhaus didn’t go to work at 7:30 a.m. on Monday.

“That’s when the red flags went up,” Davis said. “This is totally out of character for her, especially to not show up for work.”

Davis works in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent’s circulation department. Davis and Michael Backhaus said Rose was a very consistent, responsible and level-headed type of person who wouldn’t abandon her work duties.

Angela Chagnon, a co-worker at Copy Copy, said, “She’s always been very consistent about coming to work — very responsible, very hardworking. It was just very unlike her not to call.”

She said co-workers are worried about Backhaus and are sending out a flyer about her asking for information. Backhaus’s plans were to hike Saturday in Moab, stay at the La Quinta Inn, hike again Sunday and return Sunday night. Sunday was her granddaughter’s birthday.

“She loves those kids dearly and they didn’t get a call,” Davis said.

New Castle Police Chief Chris Sadler said police looked into Backhaus’s phone records but they didn’t turn up anything helpful in locating her. Police were also looking into banking records and sent out an alert about Rose Backhaus to law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado and surrounding states.

Authorities in Utah reportedly searched for Backhaus on foot and were searching for her vehicle but hadn’t found it as of mid-day Tuesday. Not finding the vehicle seemed a bit odd.

“It’s kind of strange, I would think that would be an easy find, but I don’t know how great of an area we’re talking about either,” Sadler said.

Backhaus was driving an off-red or burgundy 2004 Ford Explorer with a gray interior and a bike rack on the back. The license plate is “341-JVV.”

Michael Backhaus said his mother was known to frequent many of the same spots and stayed at the La Quinta Inn every time she went to Moab. He’s worried but remains optimistic.

“I’m worried, but at the same time that’s my mom. She loved the outdoors. She loved hiking. I know that she loved her life and loved doing things like this just as much as she loved me and my sister and our kids,” Michael Backhaus said. “This was a major part of her life.”

He said his mother is “very common sense oriented” and would make smart decisions in an outdoor survival situation. His intuition tells him she’s alive.

“She is alive. She’s out there,” he said. “I can’t dwell on what may be happening with her right now and what condition she may be in. If I do I may lose focus on the goal of just finding her.”

Anyone with relevant information about Rose Backhaus is encouraged to call the New Castle Police Department at 984-2302.

Contact Pete Fowler: 384-9121pfowler@postindependent.com

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081118/VALLEYNEWS/811189990/1083&ParentProfile=1074&title=New%20Castle%20woman%20goes%20missing

[Roamer]

Since they haven't found her car, I wonder if she got lost, or perhaps went to a little known hiking spot, since she's an experienced hiker.

Hoping she's found safe.

[grammybears]

This is the first I have heard of this case. It bothers me that they haven't found her vehicle. I wonder if she had a car accident. I am going to go check out the weather for Moab and see what I can find out.

[angiewq]

Rose is from New Castle, Colorado and works in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The community in that area is hoping for a safe return...

[Roamer]

Welcome, angie. We are hoping for the same.

[packy]

If she was hiking and it seems she is experienced she would know to stay in one place until they find her, but it is confusing as to whether she was with the car or on foot. Hope they find her soon.

[Faith]

Rose is from New Castle, Colorado and works in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The community in that area is hoping for a safe return...

Welcome to HFTM, Angie. Prayers are continuing for Ms Backhaus' safe return. :1222423:

[Faith]

Cops look for missing woman from New Castle

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Cell phone records suggest a missing New Castle woman last seen in Moab, Utah, may have headed well south of there, New Castle police chief Chris Sadler says.

Police are searching for Rosalie Backhaus, 54, who was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab at about 8 a.m. Sunday. She frequently visited the Moab area and had been there to go hiking over the weekend.

Sadler said a Grand County, Utah, team was to have conducted a limited aerial search for Backhaus on Wednesday. Authorities are looking for Backhaus’ vehicle, an off-red or burgundy 2004 Ford Explorer with a bike rack on the back and license plate number 341-JVV. Backhaus is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds and has blue eyes and curly brown hair.

Sadler said he learned from Backhaus’ cell phone company Wednesday that she called in and checked voice mails Sunday morning, and the cell phone signal bounced off towers servicing Taos, N.M., rather than Moab. He said he’s trying to figure out how big of a range those towers serve.

Sadler said it seems strange that Backhaus would have headed very far south from Moab when she was expected back at work at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs the next morning.

“Everyone seems to think that she would not have left the area and not called in and said she was going to be late in coming to work, not called her children and that sort of thing, so yeah, it doesn’t sound right,” Sadler said.

He said he’s come across no reason why Backhaus might have wanted to leave and cut off communications. He said the fact that she checked her voice mail also suggests she hadn’t been abducted from Moab.

“I think she was at least at that time willfully going in that direction,” he said.

Anyone with information about Backhaus’ whereabouts is asked to call New Castle police at 970-984-2302.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/11/19/112008_2a_missing_woman.html

[Faith]

Missing New Castle woman used cell phone on Sunday
Her vehicle was not been located after three nights

11/19/08

MOAB, Utah — Utah authorities searched for a missing New Castle woman by airplane Wednesday afternoon while her son and several of her friends helped out with efforts on the ground.

The 1 1/2 hour aerial search around Moab, Utah and the surrounding area didn’t find any signs of the woman or her vehicle.

Rose Backhaus, 54, was last seen while checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab, around 8 a.m. Sunday morning. She had planned to go on a hiking trip with a friend but ended up going alone. Her roommate and co-workers at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs where she’s a manager became worried when she didn’t return home Sunday night as planned or go into work early Monday morning.

“The biggest thing is just the issue of time right now,” said her son, Michael Backhaus. “It’s now been three nights that she’s been out there. The longer it goes the harder the struggle gets out there for her.”

Her son and friends say Rose Backhaus is very responsible, loves life, and would not have run away or failed to show up for work.

“She hasn’t run away,” said Leslie Robinson, a friend. “She’s not that type of person so we’re really concerned that something has happened and we just hope that she is found soon.”

A new development unfolded Wednesday morning when authorities obtained more information from Backhaus’ phone records that didn’t turn up in an initial inquiry, according to her son and law enforcement officials.

Rose Backhaus made a cell phone call to check her voice mail around 10:20 a.m. Sunday. The signal bounced off a cell phone tower in New Mexico. Grand County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Curt Brewer said authorities were still looking into how that translates into Rose Backhaus’ possible geographic location at the time. It doesn’t necessarily mean she was in New Mexico.

“It could be several hundred miles from where the signal was received,” Brewer said.
New Castle Police Chief Chris Sadler said the cell phone tower serves Taos, N.M. and the phone record indicates Rose Backhaus, or at least her phone left the Moab area to the south.

Michael Backhaus said his mother has no family or interest in heading to New Mexico and she was probably in the Bluff area in San Juan County, which is about 100 miles south of Moab.

Rose Backhaus was driving an off-red or burgundy 2004 Ford Explorer with a gray interior and a bike rack on the back. The license plate is Colorado 341-JVV.
Backhaus said flyers have been placed all over Moab and Grand Junction areas but haven’t produced any leads.

“I’m definitely optimistic,” he said. “My mom, she’s a really strong-willed person. She’s a pretty good outdoorsman. She’s smart.”

He said he’s confident in her abilities to make good outdoor survival decisions. Rose Backhaus also has a lot of support.

“There’s a lot of people out there praying,” her son said. “I feel that she knows in her heart that we’re looking for her.”

Contact Pete Fowler: 384-9121 pfowler@postindependent.com

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081119/VALLEYNEWS/811192716/1083&ParentProfile=1074&title=Missing%20New%20Castle%20woman%20used%20cell %20phone%20on%20Sunday

[Faith]

Garfield County woman missing

Posted: Nov 19, 2008 05:53 PM

Updated: Nov 19, 2008 05:53 PM

http://kjct.images.worldnow.com/images/9381935_BG1.jpg

NEW CASTLE -- A Colorado family is desperately searching for a woman named Rose Backhaus. The missing New Castle woman is 54-years-old.

She went hiking by herself on Friday or Saturday, then disappeared after checking out of a hotel on Sunday.

Her SUV has not been located. It's a 2004 burgundy Ford Explorer with a bike rack and several Moab bumper stickers. Her Colorado license plate number is 341-JVV.

Backhaus' family says their mom Rose would never take off and not tell the family, because they are all very close.

The Grand County Sheriff's Department has a plane in the air searching for her car.

If you have any information on where she could be, call 911.

http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9381935

[Faith]

Missing New Castle Woman


http://www.krextv.com/modules/news/images/topics/blank.png (http://www.krextv.com/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=1) http://www.krextv.com/uploads/48056c22-d2f7-b606.jpgPosted on November 19, 2008 by Kate Renner

A New Castle woman is missing after taking a solo-weekend trip to Moab. 54-year-old Rose Backhaus was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Hotel in Moab on Sunday morning. She was supposed to spend the weekend hiking alone.

Monday morning she never showed up to open the Copy Copy shop in Glenwood Springs.
An aerial search will be looking for either Rose or her 2004 burgundy Ford Explorer.
She's 5 foot 2, 160 pounds, with shoulder length-brunette hair.If you have any tips about her whereabouts you call the New Castle Sheriff's department at 984-2302.

http://www.krextv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5121

[grammybears]

This must be very frightening for her family. I wonder if she had a lapse in memory or an illness. I pray she will found safe and is back with her family.

[Faith]

Missing woman may have headed to Bluff area
New Castle woman’s vehicle has still not been located

Thursday, November 20, 2008

MOAB, Utah — Utah authorities searched for a missing New Castle woman by airplane Wednesday afternoon while her son and several of her friends helped out with efforts on the ground.

The 1 1/2 hour aerial search around Moab, Utah and the surrounding area didn’t find any signs of the woman or her vehicle.

Rose Backhaus, 54, was last seen while checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab, around 8 a.m. Sunday morning. She had planned to go on a hiking trip with a friend but ended up going alone. Her roommate and co-workers at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs where she’s a manager became worried when she didn’t return home Sunday night as planned or go into work early Monday morning.

“The biggest thing is just the issue of time right now,” said her son, Michael Backhaus. “It’s now been three nights that she’s been out there. The longer it goes the harder the struggle gets out there for her.”

Her son and friends say Rose Backhaus is very responsible, loves life, and would not have run away or failed to show up for work.

“She hasn’t run away,” said Leslie Robinson, a friend. “She’s not that type of person so we’re really concerned that something has happened and we just hope that she is found soon.”

A new development unfolded Wednesday morning when authorities obtained more information from Backhaus’ phone records that didn’t turn up in an initial inquiry, according to her son and law enforcement officials.

Rose Backhaus made a cell phone call to check her voice mail around 10:20 a.m. Sunday. The signal bounced off a cell phone tower in New Mexico. Grand County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Curt Brewer said authorities were still looking into how that translates into Rose Backhaus’ possible geographic location at the time. It doesn’t necessarily mean she was in New Mexico.

“It could be several hundred miles from where the signal was received,” Brewer said.
New Castle Police Chief Chris Sadler said the cell phone tower serves Taos, N.M. and the phone record indicates Rose Backhaus, or at least her phone left the Moab area to the south.

Michael Backhaus said his mother has no family or interest in heading to New Mexico and she was probably in the Bluff area in San Juan County, which is about 100 miles south of Moab.

Rose Backhaus was driving an off-red or burgundy 2004 Ford Explorer with a gray interior and a bike rack on the back. The license plate is Colorado 341-JVV.

Backhaus said flyers have been placed all over Moab and Grand Junction areas but haven’t produced any leads.

“I’m definitely optimistic,” he said. “My mom, she’s a really strong-willed person. She’s a pretty good outdoorsman. She’s smart.”

He said he’s confident in her abilities to make good outdoor survival decisions. Rose Backhaus also has a lot of support.

“There’s a lot of people out there praying,” her son said. “I feel that she knows in her heart that we’re looking for her.”

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081120/VALLEYNEWS/811192691/1083&ParentProfile=1074&title=Missing%20woman%20may%20have%20headed%20to%2 0Bluff%20area

[angiewq]

Posted 16 hrs ago


Sheriff's offices in Grand and San Juan counties are searching for a Colorado woman who was reported missing earlier this week after she failed to return home from a hiking trip in southeastern Utah.

The last time anyone saw Rose Backhaus was when she checked out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab, Utah to go hiking Sunday morning.

"We're looking for her at trailheads and with our patrol all over the backcountry," Grand County Chief Deputy Sheriff Curt Brewer said Thursday. "The same is true in San Juan [County}. We put a plane up [on Wednesday] and searched areas north of town. San Juan put up a plane today and searched there. But so far we haven't seen any sign of her."

Brewer said Backhaus' family members told authorities she comes to Moab and southeast Utah often to hike, and she often explores new areas and takes different routes home.

Sheriff's deputies ran a check on Backhaus' cell phone this week and found that someone used it to make a call about two hours after she was seen checking out of the Moab motel.

"The company said it looked like she was checking for messages," Brewer said. "The phone was used for just a few minutes."

That call connected through a cell phone tower in Taos, N.M., Brewer said, and the tower provides service into the far reaches of southeast Utah, but not as far north as Moab or Monticello, he said.

"That tower covers parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado and up to about Bluff or Mexican Hat in Utah," Brewer said. "At this point, we're hoping someone will spot her vehicle and call us. Right now, we don't really have anything to go on."

"I believe she"s alive and that"s where I"m sticking," her son, Michael Backhaus told the Post Independent, a Glenwood Springs, Colo. newspaper.

Rose Backhaus, 54, of New Castle, planned a weekend hiking trip to Moab with a friend. But she ended up going alone after the friend got sick and backed out.

"That"s very typical of my mom," Michael Backhaus said. "She went on her own. She"s very independent and she loves the outdoors."

Backhaus' roommate, Deb Davis, grew concerned when she didn"t return to New Castle as planned Sunday night. Things seemed more unusual when Backhaus didn"t go to work at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, the Post Independent reported. Sunday was Backhaus' granddaughter"s birthday, and Davis said it was very unusual that Backhaus did not call her granddaughter.

"That"s when the red flags went up," Davis said. "This is totally out of character for her, especially to not show up for work."

Davis works in the Post Independent"s circulation department. Davis and Michael Backhaus told the newspaper that Rose was a consistent, responsible and level-headed type of person who wouldn"t abandon her work duties.

New Castle Police Chief Chris Sadler told the Post Independent that police looked into Backhaus"s phone records, are also looking into banking records and sent out an alert about Backhaus to law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado and surrounding states.

Family members were in Moab on Wednesday and Thursday posting flyers in hopes that someone would report seeing Rose Backhaus. Brewer said the family headed south on Thursday to neighboring San Juan County, where they planned to continue their search efforts.

Backhaus was driving an off-red or burgundy 2004 Ford Explorer with a gray interior and a bike rack on the back. The license plate is "341-JVV."

Anyone with relevant information about Rose Backhaus is asked to call the New Castle Police Department at 970-984-2302, or the Grand County Sheriff's Office at 435-259-8115.

[Begood]

Search continues in Utah for missing Colo. hiker
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post

Updated: 11/25/2008 05:18:46 PM MST


Rose Backhaus (New Castle Sheriff's Department)Related
Nov 25:
Missing W. Slope hiker's SUV foundNov 24:
Colo. hiker missing in UtahA Colorado woman missing in a rugged and isolated area of northeastern Utah left extensive notes in her car outlining where she had been hiking and where she was on the day she disappeared, authorities said this afternoon.

Emery County (Utah) Sheriff Lamar Guymon said Rose Backhaus of New Castle left the notes in her maroon 2004 Explorer, which was discovered Monday in the parking lot of Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles due west of Moab, Utah.

In the notes, said Guymon, Backhaus outlined where she had hiked and stayed the day before in Moab. She said she had arrived on Nov. 16 at Goblin Valley State Park and was "happy."

"She said it was warm, nice and something new," said Guymon.

Guymon said that in the register at the parking lot, an individual from Colorado — who didn't give a name — signed in on Nov. 16 and stated "party of one."

Guymon, who is leading the search for Backhaus, said she is an experienced hiker but was not dressed for the colder weather that has moved into northeast Utah in recent days. He said, however, that she may be alive.

"I always like to think positive," said the sheriff. "If she can stay warm and hydrated, she can survive. We hope that is the case."

Sgt. Bliss Mead, of the Emery County Sheriff's Department, said that the department, the volunteer "sheriff's posse" and state park rangers were combing the 3,654-acre park.

Family and friends of the missing woman also arrived at the park.

As of 3:30 p.m. today, said Guymon, searchers had found no trace of Backhaus. He said that more searchers are due to arrive this afternoon.

They are working in shifts, and they will continue to scour the area until about 5:30 p.m. today, when the sun goes down.

Backhaus' Ford Explorer was discovered at about 2 p.m. Monday in a parking lot of the remote state park, and authorities immediately launched a search but called it off as it became dark.

The ground parties are being helped by a helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety and a private aircraft.

Authorities said that hikers in the park must carry in their own water because there are no wells or pumps in the region. Overnight temperatures have dipped into the mid-20s in recent days, he added.

Backhaus, 54, left New Castle — west of Glenwood Springs — for Moab on Nov. 15 and was expected back in New Castle late the next day.

She was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab at about 8 a.m. on Nov. 16. The last call from her cellphone hit a tower south of Moab at about 10:20 a.m. that day.

Backhaus failed to report to work at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs — about 12 miles from her home — on Nov. 17. Authorities said it was highly unusual for Backhaus not to call and completely out of character for her to miss work.

She is described as being physically fit. Backhaus is 5-foot-7, 140 pounds and has brown curly hair and blue eyes.

http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_11071114?source=pop_neighbors_denver

[sarahhod]

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705265859,00.html

Search under way for missing Colorado woman
By Ben Winslow

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 12:30 p.m. MST

Searchers are going through eastern Utah's Goblin Valley area looking for a Colorado woman who has been missing for more than a week.

Rose Backhaus, 54, was last seen checking out of a Moab motel on Nov. 16. For the past week, police in Grand and San Juan counties have been looking for her. On Monday, Backhaus' SUV was found parked at the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead in Emery County.

"She likes to hike," Emery County Sheriff's Sgt. Bliss Mead told the Deseret News on Tuesday. "Whether she's prepared or not, we don't know. I'm sure she's not dressed for the type of weather she's out in if she's been there for very long."

The sheriff's department has been out hiking the trail and on ATVs to search for Backhaus on the ground. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter and a private plane are being used to look for her.

The area is popular, but Mead said no one hiking the trail on Monday had reported seeing any sign of Backhaus.

"We're just looking hard and hoping we find her soon," he said.

Backhaus is described as white, about 5-feet-7, 140 pounds with brown curly hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call the Emery County Sheriff's Office at 435-381-2404.

[sarahhod]

http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=7229

Colorado woman missing near Little Wild Horse Canyon
November 26, 2008

The Emery County Sheriff’s Office has been involved in a search for a missing Colorado woman. Emery law enforcement authorities joined the search became apparent the missing woman wasn't in Grand or San Juan counties.

A call came into Grand County on Nov. 17 when the missing woman, 54-year-old Rose Backhaus, did not appear for work. The last known record of Backhaus was when she checked out of the LaQuinta Inn in Moab on Nov. 16.

Emery County officials located her car at the Little Wild Horse trail head on Nov. 24 by 4 p.m. Grand County officials spent the previous week searching in the Grand-San Juan area because family members believed Backhaus to be in the two counties hiking.

Emery County search and rescue personnel combed the area Nov. 24-26 and, as of 3:30 p.m., had not located the missing woman. Eighteen search and rescue posse members along with the Utah Highway Patrol helicopter have been combing the area.

The missing woman is from New Castle, Colo. Cell phone records indicate that Backhaus checked her messages on Sunday. Cell phone records are being checked to see if there was any contact past Nov. 16.

Backhaus was due to return to work on Nov. 17. Emery County Sheriff LaMar Guymon said local officials will continue to search the area until Backhaus is located.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Emery County Sheriff's Office at 435-381-2404.

[sarahhod]

http://www.kutv.com/content/news/topnews/story.aspx?content_id=ea7df64f-ed25-4f1e-aed8-317288d69542

Missing Colorado Woman Last Seen On Hiking Trip In Utah

Last Update: 11:07 am


.
Emery County Search and Rescue Crews are looking for 54-year-old Rose Backhaus after she failed to return from a hiking trip in the area.

There is a search underway in Emery County for a Colorado woman that disappeared while on a hiking trip in the area.

Police say 54-year old Rose Backhaus left her home in New Castle Colorado on November 15th for a hiking trip in Moab by herself. She told her family where she was going.

She was reportedly supposed to return to work in Colorado on Monday the 17th and never showed up. Her son then reported her missing.

Searchers got a break when they found Backhaus' car on Monday afternoon near the area of Goblin Valley State Park, a remote area north of Hanksville, approximately 70 miles due west of Moab. Search and rescue crews are now canvassing that area on the ground and in the air. Investigators say the family of the missing woman is also in the area helping search.

Backhaus' son told investigators his mother is an avid outdoors woman that hikes the Moab area by herself all the time.

Investigators say Rose was lat seen leaving the La Quinta Hotel in Moab on Sunday the 17th. Cell phone records obtained by police indicate she used her phone to check voicemail that morning in an area south of Moab.

The Grand County and San Juan Sheriff's Offices had searched several areas south of Moab where she may have used her phone and came up empty handed. The search area was changed after Backhaus' car was found in Goblin Valley Monday.

Emery County searchers say temperatures have been in the 20's overnight in Goblin Valley.

Anyone with information on Rosalie Backhaus is asked to call the Emery County Sheriff's Office at 435-381-2404.

[sarahhod]

Missing Colo. Woman's SUV Found In Utah Park
Rose Backhaus Has Been Missing Since Nov. 19


http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/18152624/detail.html#-

POSTED: 10:18 am MST November 26, 2008

DENVER -- A full-scale search is on at a rugged Utah state park where the vehicle of a missing Colorado woman was discovered Monday.

Rose Backhaus, 54, of New Castle, Colo., was last heard from on Nov. 16 when she checked out of a Moab motel. A call from her cell phone was made two hours later, apparently to check for messages.

Utah authorities had been searching in southeastern Utah for Backhaus, south of Moab, because the cell phone call went through a communications tower in Taos, N.M..

On Monday, a tip led searchers to the parking lot of the Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab. A person who didn't write in their name, but noted they were from Colorado, signed the trail register to Little Wild Horse Canyon on Nov. 16.

Backhaus had planned to return home the night of Nov. 16, but she didn't return or show up for work in Glenwood Springs the next day.

Searchers on foot, aided by an airplane and helicopter, are looking for Backhaus in the 3,654-acre state park.

Goblin Valley State Park is located in Emery County between the towns of Green River and Hanksville.

http://i34.tinypic.com/2w6rjb7.jpg

[sarahhod]

Search continues for missing Colorado hiker

http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9418672&nav=menu554_2

Associated Press - November 26, 2008 11:45 AM ET

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Emery County search and rescue crews on Wednesday continued the search for a Colorado woman missing since Nov. 16.

Emery County sheriff's Sgt. Bliss Mead says Rose Backhaus of New Castle, Colo. was reported missing by her family when she failed to return from a hiking trip. The 54-year-old's sport utility vehicle was found Monday afternoon parked near the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead in Goblin Valley State Park.

The popular canyon trail is well-known for its narrow slot canyons.

The 3,654-acre park near Hanksville is about 230 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

Mead says Backhaus was last seen Nov. 15 in nearby Moab, Utah. She had been hiking in Canyonlands National Park.

[sarahhod]

Utah search continues for New Castle woman

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081127/VALLEYNEWS/811269961/1083&ParentProfile=1074&title=Utah%20search%20continues%20for%20New%20Cast le%20woman




UTAH — There were still no more signs of Rose Backhaus in the Goblin Valley State Park late Wednesday.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said dogs were helping search Little Wild Horse Canyon Wednesday and helicopters had to leave due to an approaching storm.

Backhaus was last seen Nov. 16 in Moab, Utah. Authorities found her burgundy Ford Explorer parked at a trailhead 70 miles west in the Goblin Valley State Park on Monday but haven’t yet found Backhaus. Notes in her car reportedly said she arrived at the state park Nov. 16 and was happy.

Guymon said the trail leads to a series of slot canyons.

[sarahhod]

Dogs aid search for missing Colo. hiker

http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_11080333


By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
Updated: 11/26/2008 05:12:26 PM MST



Three search dogs teams failed today to locate New Castle hiker Rose Backhaus in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County, Utah Sheriff Lamar Guymon said this evening.

The teams, consisting of one handler and one dog per team, were brought in from Salt Lake City to search for Backhaus who was last seen in Moab on Nov. 16.

More than two dozen searchers from at least four Utah agencies who have been searching for Backhaus since her maroon 2004 Explorer was discovered Monday in the parking lot of the 3,654-acre state park, 70 miles due west of Moab.

During the past three days, searchers have also used planes and a helicopter to try to find Backhaus in the isolated, rugged canyons of the park.

Guymon said the search, which was called off after it got dark tonight, will resume Thanksgiving morning.

Backhaus' car has been left at the parking lot.

"We are leaving it there so she has a place to come back to," said the sheriff.

In some notes she left in the car, Backhaus said she had just arrived at the park on Nov. 16 after hiking and staying in the Moab area.

She said she was happy to be at Goblin Valley.

"She said it was warm, nice and something new," said Guymon.

Guymon said that at the register at the parking lot, an individual from Colorado — who didn't leave a name — signed in stating "Party of One."

Friends and acquaintances of Backhaus said this was her first trip to the park known for its goblin-like rock formations, the sheriff said.

Guymon said Wednesday that it may be hard to find Backhaus in the rugged country if she is not able to move or build a fire.

He said there are many small trees and rock formations and ledges where she may be hidden from view. There are half a dozen canyons in the park, Guymon said, and they lead to a large complex of canyons beyond the park boundaries.

"We've walked the canyons," as well as flown over them, said the sheriff.

Guymon also noted that the weather will turn nasty Wednesday night, with a 40 percent chance of rain and snow and a 50 percent chance of the same wintery mixture on Thanksgiving Day.

He said Backhaus, an experienced hiker, was not dressed for the colder weather.

Backhaus left New Castle, west of Glenwood Springs, for Moab on Nov. 15 and was expected back home late the next day.

She was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab at about 8 a.m. Nov. 16. The last call from her cellphone hit a tower south of Moab at about 10:20 a.m. that day.

Guymon said today that Backhaus' cellphone was found in her car.

Among the agencies taking part in the search are the Emery County Sheriff's Department, a volunteer "sheriff's posse" and state park rangers.

[sarahhod]

Weather shift forces halt to search for missing woman


http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/11/26/112708_2a_missing_woman_search.html

By DENNIS WEBB

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A turn in the weather forced search aircraft to end their work before the end of daylight Wednesday and could jeopardize Thanksgiving Day efforts to find a New Castle woman last seen in Utah a week and a half ago.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said the weather started to get stormy Wednesday in the Little Wild Horse and Bell canyons area, where the search for Rose Backhaus, 54, is focusing. Backhaus was last seen in Moab on Nov. 16 but her vehicle was found Monday at a trailhead accessing the two canyons, southwest of Green River.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, search dogs and ground crew remained in the canyons.

“We’ll see what happens the rest of the evening and then start over (today),” he said.

Rain is in the forecast, however, and wet weather would force searchers out of the canyons because of flood danger.

Guymon believes the fact that numerous hikers and searchers haven’t seen Backhaus suggests she may have taken a wrong turn while trying to follow the route connecting the tops of the two canyons. She also may have fallen somewhere off the trail, he said.

Guymon said Backhaus left heavy clothing in her vehicle, and rescuers think she may have been wearing only a light fleece jacket and hiking pants.

“It’s cold and getting colder,” he said.

“I don’t know that she’s got enough food, water and clothing to keep her sustained that long.”

He said a few searchers would be off for the holiday, but others would keep doing what they could, weather-permitting.

“And then we’ll have all our people back on Friday,” he said.

[sarahhod]

Missing New Castle Woman's Car Found

http://www.krextv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5204


Local News Posted on November 24, 2008 by Peter Schaller

The car belogning to a missing New Castle woman has been found 70 miles from Moab. She was last seen there. Utah authoritites found Rose Backhaus's SUV near the Goblin Valley State Park northwest of Moab, but the 54-year-old hiker is still missing Monday night.

The search continues for her in Emory County, Utah from the ground and sky. Backhaus's son told us investigators are also looking into her bank records to try and re-trace her steps. She was last seen checking out of the Moab La Quinta Hotel a week ago.

[sarahhod]

November 26, 2008 Wednesday

Missing hiker left trip notes in car Rose Backhaus of New Castle vanished in a Utah park Nov. 16.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:890379881&start=9


Howard Pankratz The Denver Post

A Colorado woman missing in a rugged and isolated area of eastern Utah left extensive notes in her car outlining where she had been hiking, including her arrival in a Utah state park before she disappeared, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said that Rose Backhaus of New Castle left the notes in her 2004 Ford Explorer, which was discovered Monday in the parking lot of Goblin Valley State Park about 12 miles from Hanksville, Utah.

In the notes, said Guymon, Backhaus outlined where she had hiked and stayed the day before near Moab. She said she had arrived Nov. 16 at Goblin Valley State Park and was "happy."

"She said it was warm, nice and something new," said Guymon.

Guymon said that at the register at the parking lot, an individual from Colorado - without giving his or her name - signed in Nov. 16 and stated "Party of One."

Guymon is leading the search for Backhaus, who was last seen in Moab on Nov. 16.

Guymon said that Backhaus, an experienced hiker, was not dressed for the colder weather that has moved into eastern Utah in recent days.

But he said that Backhaus may be alive.

"I always like to think positive," said the sheriff. "If she can stay warm and hydrated, she can survive. We hope that is the case."

Sgt. Bliss Mead said that the sheriff's department, a volunteer "sheriff's posse" and state park rangers were combing the 3,654-acre park 70 miles west of Moab.

Family and friends of the missing woman have arrived at the park.

As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Guymon, they had found no trace of Backhaus. He said that more searchers were due to arrive in the afternoon.

The search was scheduled to continue until sunset.

The ground parties are being helped by a helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety and a private aircraft.

Backhaus, 54, is described as being physically fit.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
November 26, 2008

[sarahhod]

Search for Rose Backhaus Continues Despite Wet Weather

http://www.krextv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5266


Local News Posted November 27th, by Amanda Allen

Bad weather is limiting the search for a missing New Castle woman on Thanksgiving Day. Rose Backhaus' SUV was found near Goblin Valley State Park in Utah on Monday. The Emery County Sheriff's office says their search Thursday is hindered by the wet weather, but they have 5 people out there doing everything they can. As long as it's raining troopers can't search off roads or into the canyons.


The 54-year-old was in the Moab area hiking she was last seen checking out of the LaQuinta Hotel one week and a half ago.
Full search efforts will resume Friday. If you have any information please contact authorities.

[sarahhod]

Searchers find no sign of Colorado woman

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705266373,00.html

Published: Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008 12:17 a.m. MST

CASTLE DALE — The search for a Colorado woman who has been missing for more than a week continued Wednesday in Utah's Goblin Valley area.

Searchers began working the area at daylight after interrupting the search late Tuesday night.

"We are now waiting on search dogs which should arrive (Wednesday) afternoon," Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said. "We have been searching all morning and the helicopters are filling up with fuel again and they will continue aiding in the search."

Rose Backhaus, 54, was last seen checking out of a Moab motel on Nov. 16. For the past week, police in Grand and San Juan counties have been looking for her. On Monday, Backhaus' sport utility vehicle was found parked at the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead in Emery County.

Backhaus is described as white, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, 140 pounds with brown curly hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call the Emery County Sheriff's Office at 435-381-2404.

— Ethan Thomas

[Faith]

Search For Rose Backhaus Continues

Local News Posted November 29th, 2008

After almost two weeks searchers still can't find Rose Backus the missing New Castle woman. Emery County authorities started searching for the 54-year-old on Monday after her car was found near Goblin Valley State Park. Rain and muddy conditions have hampered search efforts over the past few days, but more searchers were called in to help yesterday. At ths hour no new leads have been discovered. Backhus was last seen in Moab about a week and a half ago.

http://www.krextv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5301

[sarahhod]

Utah authorities continue search for Colorado hiker

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11094558

By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
Updated: 11/28/2008 03:29:33 PM MST


Utah authorities searching for New Castle hiker Rose Backhaus issued a plea today asking people who ventured into the backcountry at Utah's Goblin Valley State Park between Nov. 16 and Monday to contact them.

Emery County, Utah, Sheriff Lamar Guymon said that according to the register at the park, the majority of those who hiked the rugged, canyon-filled park were from Colorado.

He said he would like people who were using the park then to contact the Emery County Sheriff's Department at 435-381-2404.

Specifically, Guymon is asking people who may have seen Backhaus hiking the canyons or saw her maroon 2004 Explorer parked at the Little Wild Horse Canyon parking lot — where it was found Monday — to contact his department.

Backhaus is 5-foot-7, weighs 140 pounds and has brown curly hair and blue eyes.

As of 9 a.m., more than 40 people from four Utah law-enforcement agencies, plus volunteers, were scouring the canyons in the 3,654-acre park, Guymon said.

He said that although Backhaus didn't sign her name in the register, a "party of one" from Colorado signed in on Nov. 16. The visitor said he or she planned a day hike in Little Wild Horse Canyon. Authorities believe the person was Backhaus.

Guymon said Little Wild Horse Canyon is where searchers today are concentrating their efforts, although Backhaus could have left the canyon and gone into myriad other canyons in the area.

A helicopter and several search dogs are joining ground searchers today, Guymon said. And specialists will rappel down canyon walls in case Backhaus fell and is trapped on a ledge or entangled in trees on the cliff side.

In some notes she left in her car, Backhaus said she had just arrived at Goblin Valley State Park on Nov. 16 after hiking and staying in the Moab area, about 70 miles east of the park.

Backhaus wrote that she was happy to be at Goblin Valley.

"She said it was warm, nice and something new," said Guymon.

Friends and acquaintances of Backhaus said this was her first trip to the park known for its goblin-like rock formations, the sheriff said.

Backhaus left New Castle for Moab on Nov. 15 and was expected back in New Castle, west of Glenwood Springs, late the next day.

Backhaus was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab at about 8 a.m. Nov. 16. The last call from her cellphone hit a tower south of Moab at about 10:20 a.m. that day.

Guymon said that Backhaus' cellphone was found in her car.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com

[sarahhod]

Search Intensifies for Colorado Hiker Missing in Utah

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459084,00.html

Saturday, November 29, 2008



The search for a Colorado woman who vanished while hiking intensified Saturday, with more crews arriving in southern Utah to join the hunt.

Rose Backhaus, 54, of New Castle, Colo., was last heard from on Nov. 16. Her family reported her missing after she didn't return from a hiking trip.

The Emery County Sheriff's Office is focusing on the Goblin Valley State Park area in Saturday's search.

Emery County Sheriff's dispatcher Maureen Copatch told FOXNews.com that she wasn't aware of any leads and foul play isn't suspected in Backhaus' disappearance.

Copatch said the missing hiker's family had come to southern Utah during the search.

The hiker's SUV was found Monday near the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead in the park. The popular canyon trail is known for its narrow slot canyons.

The search since Monday has included a helicopter, off-road vehicles and dogs.

Emery County authorities asked anyone who was in Goblin Valley State Park between Nov. 16 and Monday to contact them at (435) 381-2404, The Denver Post reported.

Sheriff Lamar Guymon is particularly interested in those who might have seen Backhaus hiking or spotted her maroon 2004 Explorer, according to the paper.

It was Backhaus' first trip to Goblin Valley State Park, friends told the Post.

Backhaus left handwritten notes in her car that said she'd just arrived at the park Nov. 16 after hiking near Moab, Utah, and was happy to be there, the paper reported.

"She said it was warm, nice and something new," said Guymon.

Backhaus is described as 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds with blue eyes and brown, curly hair.

The 3,600-acre state park near Hanksville is about 230 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

http://i37.tinypic.com/24ex28m.jpg

[sarahhod]

I really hope Rose is found soon.

[Begood]

Missing Colo. Woman's SUV Found In Utah Park
Rose Backhaus Has Been Missing Since Nov. 19

POSTED: 10:18 am MST November 26, 2008


DENVER -- A full-scale search is on at a rugged Utah state park where the vehicle of a missing Colorado woman was discovered Monday.

Rose Backhaus, 54, of New Castle, Colo., was last heard from on Nov. 16 when she checked out of a Moab motel. A call from her cell phone was made two hours later, apparently to check for messages.

Utah authorities had been searching in southeastern Utah for Backhaus, south of Moab, because the cell phone call went through a communications tower in Taos, N.M..

On Monday, a tip led searchers to the parking lot of the Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab. A person who didn't write in their name, but noted they were from Colorado, signed the trail register to Little Wild Horse Canyon on Nov. 16.

Backhaus had planned to return home the night of Nov. 16, but she didn't return or show up for work in Glenwood Springs the next day.

Searchers on foot, aided by an airplane and helicopter, are looking for Backhaus in the 3,654-acre state park.

Goblin Valley State Park is located in Emery County between the towns of Green River and Hanksville.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/18152624/detail.html

[Begood]

Missing hiker left trip notes in car
Rose Backhaus of New Castle vanished in a Utah park Nov. 16.
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
Updated: 11/25/2008 08:30:16 PM MST


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Colo. hiker missing in UtahA Colorado woman missing in a rugged and isolated area of eastern Utah left extensive notes in her car outlining where she had been hiking, including her arrival in a Utah state park before she disappeared, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said that Rose Backhaus of New Castle left the notes in her 2004 Ford Explorer, which was discovered Monday in the parking lot of Goblin Valley State Park about 12 miles from Hanksville, Utah.

In the notes, said Guymon, Backhaus outlined where she had hiked and stayed the day before near Moab. She said she had arrived Nov. 16 at Goblin Valley State Park and was "happy."

"She said it was warm, nice and something new," said Guymon.

Guymon said that at the register at the parking lot, an individual from Colorado — without giving his or her name — signed in Nov. 16 and stated "Party of One."

Guymon is leading the search for Backhaus, who was last seen in Moab on Nov. 16.

Guymon said that Backhaus, an experienced hiker, was not dressed for the colder weather that has moved into eastern Utah in recent days.

But he said that Backhaus may be alive.

"I always like to think positive," said the sheriff. "If she can stay warm and hydrated, she can survive. We hope that is the case."

Sgt. Bliss Mead said that the sheriff's department, a volunteer "sheriff's posse" and state park rangers were combing the 3,654-acre park 70 miles west of Moab.

Family and friends of the missing woman have arrived at the park.

As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Guymon, they had found no trace of Backhaus. He said that more searchers were due to arrive in the afternoon.

The search was scheduled to continue until sunset.

The ground parties are being helped by a helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety and a private aircraft.

Backhaus, 54, is described as being physically fit.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11074431

[Roamer]

It sounds like she was pretty organized. But also that she's experienced and could survive out there is she's lost.

My prayers are with Rose and her family.

[Faith]

Officials need your help finding missing woman

Posted: Nov 30, 2008 05:15 PM

Updated: Nov 30, 2008 05:15 PM

The search continues in southeast Utah for a missing New Castle woman.

Sunday Emery County Search and Rescue crews are using ATV's and helicopters to locate the woman missing since November 16. Emery County officials say Rose Backhaus was reported missing by her family when she failed to return from a hiking trip.

The 54 year old's S.U.V. was found Monday afternoon parked near the Little Wild Horse Canyon Trailhead in Goblin Valley State Park. The popular canyon trail is well-known for its narrow slot canyons.

We spoke with Rose's son Mike Backhaus Sunday. He said, "They're really trying to keep an open perspective and not focus on one thing. They are looking at everything to be in the realm of possiblity. They are using every last resource."

The 3,654-acre park is about 230 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Backhaus was last seen November 15th in nearby Moab, Utah. She had been hiking in Canyonlands National Park.

The Emery County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone in Goblin Valley State Park from the morning of November 16th to November 24th to call authorities at 435-381-2404.

http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9433761

[mollybrown]

WOW I lived in the New Castle, Glenwood Springs area for 26 years and moved to WI last Nov. I don't think that I ever met Rose but do know a number of people related in this story.

SE Utah is beautiful and the Moab area I know fairly well. It is rugged country and being on foot is not the best this time of year.

http://www.moab-utah.com/photo/index.html

http://www.moab-utah.com/nationalparks/arches.html

http://www.moab-utah.com/photo/canyonlands/

http://www.moab-utah.com/weather/forecast.html

http://www.moab-utah.com/maps/areamap.html

Hope some of this information gives you a FEEL for the landscape.

Be safe Rose :1222423:

[grammybears]

I wish there was answers about Rose for her families sake. I also worry about her possibly falling and there not being anyone around to help her.

[Amusedtdth]

Hoping for the best. Experienced and she looks the part as well. Praying for her safe return. I am a little puzzled as to why she hasn't contacted anyone, then again, cell phone reliability in that terrain could explain that one.

[grammybears]

That is a very rough terrain in the Moab area. It is very beautiful but can be really bad if you are not careful. I just cannot imagine that Rose got lost. I worry that she fell and hurt herself so that she could not get help. Cell phones do not do well in that area especially if you are hiking.
My thoughts and prayers will be with Rose and her family.

jmoo

[sarahhod]

Searchers continue to look for missing New Castle woman
Utah sheriff: Scaling back or calling off search a possibility

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081202/VALLEYNEWS/812029985/1074&title=Searchers%20continue%20to%20look%20for%20mis sing%20New%20Castle%20woman

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

UTAH, Colorado — Authorities still searched for a New Castle woman Monday about two weeks after she went missing in Utah.

“We still have dogs and people working the ground out there today,” Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said Monday.

Authorities have searched for 54-year-old Rose Backhaus in Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab, since Nov. 24 when they discovered her Ford Explorer in a parking lot there. But neither Backhaus nor any more signs of her were found as of Monday.

Search efforts have included airplane and helicopter flights. Backhaus’ son and others have been in Utah trying to help find her.

Guymon said the search efforts would continue today and would be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

“We’ll stay as long as we have something we can work on,” he said. “We’ll see what tomorrow brings. We’re going to play this day by day.”

Backhaus, on a hiking trip by herself, was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab around 8 a.m. Nov. 16. Family, friends and co-workers were alarmed when she didn’t return home that night or to work at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs the following morning as planned.

A tip from an Emery County road department employee led authorities to her burgundy Ford Explorer in the Goblin Valley State Park on Nov. 24. Notes in her car reportedly said she arrived at the state park Nov. 16 and was happy.

The 3,654-acre state park includes a number of long and narrow slot canyons. Her vehicle was parked at a trailhead near the well-traveled Little Wild Horse Canyon. It’s one of the most famous slot canyons in Utah, a Utah state parks website says.

Authorities located a witness who saw Backhaus walking into the canyon from the parking lot, Guymon said, but no one could be found who saw her after that.

[sarahhod]

Witness reports aid Utah search for New Castle woman Rose Backhaus

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/12/01/120208_9A_missing_woman_search.html

By DENNIS WEBB

Monday, December 01, 2008

Utah rescue crews on Monday continued their search for a New Castle woman who has been missing for more than two weeks.

Over the weekend, searchers received some reassurance that they are focusing on the right area when witnesses came forward to say they saw Rose Backhaus, 54, leave a parking lot and start hiking the Little Wild Horse and Bell canyons loop trail Nov. 16. That was the day she was last seen.

Backhaus’ vehicle was found Nov. 24 at that trailhead, west of Goblin Valley State Park and southwest of Green River. Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said the witnesses — an older person and a nephew — hiked at a fast pace up Little Wild Horse Canyon but never caught up to Backhaus or saw her coming from Bell Canyon. Guymon said Backhaus may have ended up going off the route, possibly into more open country between the tops of the two canyons.

The witnesses later identified Backhaus based on her photograph and vehicle.

Guymon said searchers also have found a footprint and some nearby items, including a stick of lip balm. He said searchers planned to focus their efforts in the area of that discovery, but that the lead isn’t necessarily strong. The footprint was smaller but was old and didn’t show a tread, and the lip balm could have belonged to anybody, he said.

“But at this point we’ll follow up on anything,” he said.

Guymon said a command post was moved from the trailhead Monday, but probably about 15 people and a dog team continued the search. After an intensive aerial search over the area last week, a helicopter left the scene, but rescuers plan to use it again, Guymon said.

Anyone else with information in the case can call the Emery County Sheriff’s Department at 435-381-2404.

[Faith]

Weather stalls Emery County search for missing Colorado woman

By Ben Winslow

Deseret News
Published: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 2:08 p.m. MST

Searchers have come up with nothing in their search for a Colorado woman who vanished somewhere in the vast deserts and tricky canyons of eastern Utah.

On Tuesday, eight searchers were looking in the area of Little Wild Horse Canyon for any sign of 54-year-old Rose Backhaus. Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon told the Deseret News they would not likely be searching for her on Wednesday.

"We'll kind of regroup and try to figure out where we go from here," the sheriff said Tuesday.

Detectives are traveling to Colorado to interview Backhaus' family and friends again. The weather is not expected to be good, so Guymon is considering halting the search for a few days — unless something significant develops.

"Weather's a part of it and not knowing where to search," he said. "We're going to be back out there, but it may not be (Wednesday)."

Backhaus checked out of the LaQuinta Inn in Moab on Nov. 16. The sheriff said a witness saw her leave the parking lot at the trailhead where her SUV was found on Nov. 24. A note was also found in Backhaus' SUV.

"She made some writings about her trip to Moab and she was now in Little Wild Horse and was going to hike the canyon," Guymon said.

Despite the frustrating dead ends in her disappearance, Guymon said searchers are not giving up looking for Backhaus.

"We're going to have to keep looking," he said. "She's somewhere."

Anyone with information on Backhaus is urged to call the Emery County Sheriff's Office at 435-381-2404.

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705267575,00.html

[grammybears]

I sure hope the information that is reported here will help in finding Rose. She has been gone too long with bad weather setting in.

jmoo

[Faith]

Still no sign of Colorado woman missing in Utah

The Associated Press
Updated: 12/03/2008 10:22:17 AM MST

Searchers have been unable to locate a Colorado woman who disappeared in the canyons of eastern Utah last month.

Eight searchers scoured Little Wild Horse Canyon on Tuesday for signs of 54-year-old Rose Backhaus. Backhaus was last seen on Nov. 16, when she checked out of a Moab hotel and was seen leaving the parking lot at the canyon trailhead.

Her SUV was found at the trailhead on Nov. 24.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon says he is considering halting the search for a few days while investigators travel to Colorado to interview the woman's friends and family again.

Little Wild Horse Canyon is west of Goblin Valley State Park in the San Rafael Swell area.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11128080

[sarahhod]

http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=7241

December 2, 2008

Missing hiker in Little Wild Horse

The Emery County Sheriff's Office has been involved in a search for a missing Colorado woman. Grand County Sheriff enlisted the help of Emery County officials when it became apparent the missing woman wasn't in Grand or San Juan counties.

A call came into Grand County on Nov. 17 when the missing woman, 54 year old Rose Backhaus did not appear for work on Nov. 17.

The last known record of Backhaus was when she checked out of the LaQuinta Inn in Moab on Nov. 16.

Emery County officials located her car at the Little Wild Horse trailhead on Nov. 24 by 4 p.m. Grand County had spent the previous week searching in Grand and San Juan counties because family members believed Backhaus to be in those counties hiking.

Emery County Sheriff's Office deputies and Emery County Search and Rescue posse combed the area on Nov. 24-Dec. 1 and they have still not located the missing woman. Eighteen search and rescue posse members along with the Utah Highway Patrol helicopter have been combing the area.

She is from New Castle, Colo. Cell phone records show that Backhaus checked her cell phone messages on Sunday and that is the last known contact with Backhaus. Cell phone records are being checked to see if there was any contact past Nov. 16.

Backhaus was due to return to work on Nov. 17.

The search has continued throughout the Thanksgiving holiday and the Emery County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of the state parks, adult probation and parole, and the Emery County Sheriff's Posse search and Rescue, Department of Public Safety helicopter with pilot Terry Mercer and the Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue dogs have searched the area by air and by ground, ATVs have also combed the area.

The search has spanned from Goblin Valley, through the San Rafael Reef and to the Muddy River with no results or additional clues to the whereabouts of Backhaus. Backhaus is described as 5'2", 135-150 pounds, wears glasses and was wearing hiking pants and a lime green fleece jacket at the time of her disappearance.

She arrived at the Little Wild Horse trail head around 10 a.m. and her vehicle has been there ever since. It is a 2004 maroon Ford Explorer with a bike rack on the back. The Emery County Sheriff's Office is requesting that anyone who was in the area from the morning of Nov. 16-24 and has any knowledge to the location of Backhaus should contact the sheriff's office at 435-381-2404.

Emery County Sheriff LaMar Guymon said, "We have searched by ground, air, 4-wheelers and on foot every slot canyon and have moved west of the Reef and are in the process of working towards Mackay Flat on foot. The area has been searched thoroughly by air. We have had approximately 20 search and rescue personnel and deputies in the area each day since the call came in that Backhaus was missing. At this point we are looking at every possiblity and pursuing every lead. There is an eye witness that saw Backhaus enter the canyon that Sunday morning. From that point on no one has seen her. We are scaling back our efforts, but will continue to search as we are able to find manpower. Liablility issues have become a problem and we can only be responsible for our trained search and rescue workers. Volunteers can search in the area on their own, but they do not answer to us and are not our responsiblity. When the search first started we searched all the pot holes in Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon. Since that time it has rained and filled the pot holes and we have had our rappeling crew search all the pot holes again. The upper end of Little Wild Horse is not well marked and beyond that you can become easily confused you could go south or northeast and you could end up on Mackay Flat or Hidden Splendor, or if you go the other way, eventually you'll run into the freeway. We are just working to eliminate areas one step at a time. Scent dogs are just good within a few hours of a disappearance. But, the tracking dogs will find any person in the area, either alive or deceased. These dogs are trained to find people. We will continue to do what we can to find Backhaus," said Sheriff Guymon.

[sarahhod]

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11123779

Sheriff to take found items to home of missing hiker

Updated: 12/02/2008 09:09:52 PM MST

Three things Utah authorities found during their week-long search for missing New Castle hiker Rose Backhaus will be brought to Colorado on Thursday to see whether relatives and friends can identify them as belonging to Backhaus.

Lamar Guymon, sheriff for Emery County, Utah, said he will travel to New Castle, west of Glenwood Springs, on Thursday with a glove, a ChapStick and a picture of a footprint possibly left by Backhaus, who was last seen in Moab on Nov. 16.

Guymon said he will interview Backhaus' relatives and friends.

Her car was found Nov. 24 in the Little Wild Horse Canyon parking lot near Goblin Valley State Park in eastern Utah.

Planes, helicopters, dogs and dozens of people from various Utah agencies and volunteers have searched for her.

Guymon said Tuesday that a man and his nephew from Salt Lake City said they saw Backhaus head toward the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead in hiking gear.

The sheriff said searchers have looked for Backhaus in a huge area — "more than 14 miles in one direction and 30 miles in another direction" from the parking lot. He said 14 searchers were out Tuesday and that eight will look for the woman today.

In notes she left in the car, Backhaus said she had just arrived at the park Nov. 16 after hiking in the Moab area.

She said she was happy to be in the Goblin Valley.

Backhaus was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab about 8 a.m. Nov. 16. The last call from her cellphone hit a tower south of Moab about 10:20 a.m. that day.

Guymon said Backhaus' cellphone was found in her car.

[sarahhod]

Hiker's friends, kin to eye items found

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11123593

The Denver Post
Updated: 12/02/2008 11:01:04 PM MST

MOAB — Items that Utah authorities found during their week- long search for missing New Castle hiker Rose Backhaus will be brought to Colorado on Thursday to see whether relatives and friends can identify them as belonging to her.

Lamar Guymon, sheriff for Emery County, Utah, said he will travel to New Castle, west of Glenwood Springs, on Thursday with a glove, a ChapStick and a picture of a footprint possibly left by Backhaus, who was last seen in Moab on Nov. 16.

Guymon said he will interview Backhaus' relatives and friends.

Her car was found Nov. 24 in the Little Wild Horse Canyon parking lot near Goblin Valley State Park in eastern Utah.

[sarahhod]

Search for Rose Backhaus focused on 2 Utah canyons

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/12/05/120608_11A_missing_woman.html


By DENNIS WEBB

Friday, December 05, 2008

Armed with new clues on what she may have been wearing, searchers Friday resumed their efforts along a popular Utah trail where a New Castle woman disappeared Nov. 16.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said four searchers began a slow, methodical retracing of Little Wild Horse and Bell canyons in search of Rose Backhaus, 54. After taking a day off Thursday to regroup, searchers resumed their focus on two canyons that they have scoured on the ground and from the air, and with the help of dogs and rappelling teams, since Nov. 24.

That’s when Backhaus’ vehicle was found at the trailhead for the loop trail for the two canyons, located southwest of Green River. The avid hiker headed to the trailhead from Moab the morning of Nov. 16, and two hikers have since told authorities they saw her head up the trail.

Guymon said previous information provided to authorities suggested Backhaus may have had a lime green jacket with her. But detectives who traveled to Colorado to interview family and friends this week found the jacket in Backhaus’ closet. They now think she more likely was wearing a light-brown, imitation suede jacket.

Guymon also said it turns out a glove found in an area where lip balm and a single footprint also were discovered had been lost by a searcher. They also haven’t been able to link the lip balm or footprint to Backhaus.

Interviews with those who know Backhaus leave investigators still assuming she got lost or became injured along the trail, and it’s not a case of her not being in the area, Guymon said.

He said Friday’s search results would help dictate search plans for this weekend — three weeks since Backhaus disappeared.

“At some point we’re going to have to start winding this back a little,” he said.

As for Backhaus’ fate, “You always hope, but you’ve got to face reality at some point — this kind of weather and if she is out there in this kind of weather for that long,” Guymon said. “I would think that probably hypothermia doesn’t take that long.”

[Claycat]

I guess another hiker will find her body or bones one of these days! :(

[grammybears]

claycatit is sure starting to look that way. This kind of reminds me of a case in California, where the man went hiking and has not been seen since. I believe that guys name was David Reed or something like that. Rose has been gone for so long andn it is getting so cold. I just do not know how she can survive with the weather being the way it is in the Moab area.

[Faith]

Emery County sheriff: Long search is unusual

Monday, December 08, 2008

Sheriff Lamar Guymon is used to people getting lost in Emery County, Utah, a landscape of narrow slot canyons, vast deserts, and on its eastern edge, the Green River.

He’s less accustomed to people staying lost.

Weeks of search efforts for 54-year-old Rose Backhaus of New Castle have proven unsuccessful since her vehicle was found Nov. 23 at the parking lot for the Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon loop trail southeast of Green River. She parked there on Nov. 16 and apparently had intended to hike on the trail.

Guymon said the last organized search was Saturday, and independent hikers in the area Sunday also didn’t report finding anything. Investigators also are looking at Backhaus’ computer and have talked to those who know her, but have come across nothing to suggest she disappeared for other reasons.

“We’ve searched about everything we can, and we’re really at a loss,” Guymon said.

Guymon said investigators also are taking into account a change in a witness statement. Authorities had understood that the witness had seen Backhaus heading up the trail Nov. 16, but instead she was just spotted at the trail registration stand, Guymon said.

Still, he continues to think Backhaus probably hiked on the trail and is in the area of the two canyons.

Guymon said on average, people are reported missing in the county at least once a week. Usually, searchers find them within a day or two. Some years a few people die in the county’s backcountry for reasons such as falls, heart attacks or drownings; other years there are no such fatalities, Guymon said.

It was in an Emery County canyon that Aspen resident Aron Ralston famously cut off part of his arm in 2003 after being pinned for days by a boulder.

In June, the remains of a man who was reported missing 10 years ago to the month that Backhaus disappeared were discovered in the area where Guymon and others initially had searched for him. The man apparently died when his gun accidentally went off, and his body’s position below a ledge kept it concealed, Guymon said.

He said investigators had traveled around the United States trying to solve that case.

The search for Backhaus has been scaled back, but Guymon said he expected to occasionally organize small search groups at least through Christmas.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/12/08/120908_3a_missing_woman_latest.html

[sarahhod]

Search for missing woman from New Castle scaled back

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081209/NEWS/812095321/1058&title=Search%20for%20missing%20woman%20from%20New% 20Castle%20scaled%20back

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

UTAH — The search for a missing New Castle woman has been scaled back, but the sheriff handling it said authorities “won’t call it off until we find her.”

“Right now we’re just trying to regroup and plan what we’re going to do from here on,” Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said. “We won’t call it off until we find her, but there’s no way to continue to search every day like we were.”

Rose Backhaus, 54, was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab on Nov. 16. Friends, family and co-workers said it was highly unusual she didn’t call or return home that night or to work the next morning as planned. On Nov. 24, authorities discovered her Ford Explorer at Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab.

Backhaus was from Denver and has lived in the Glenwood Springs area for around seven years. She worked at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs.

Authorities are pursuing other avenues to see if any useful information can be turned up. Guymon said two investigators were sent to Colorado last week and are awaiting legal authorization to search her computers.

On Friday and Saturday, authorities searched Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon again, a popular loop in Goblin Valley State Park. Backhaus’ Ford Explorer was found parked at a trailhead near the entrance to Little Wild Horse Canyon.

Guymon said authorities planned to start another search later this week west of the canyons. Previous searches with dogs and in the air by airplane and helicopter also weren’t successful. Family members and friends have also traveled to Utah to try to help out.

[sarahhod]

Published today
Search continues for missing hiker

http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=7282



The Emery County Sheriff's Office has been involved in a search for a missing Colorado woman since Nov. 24. A call came into Grand County on Nov. 17 when the missing woman, 54 year old Rose Backhaus did not appear for work on Nov. 17. The last known record of Backhaus was when she checked out of the LaQuinta Inn in Moab on Nov. 16. Emery County officials located her car at the Little Wild Horse trailhead on Nov. 24 by 4 p.m.

Emery County Sheriff LaMar Guymon said they have checked every possible section in the Little Wild Horse Canyon area and points beyond. "We are out of leads. We are re-searching areas that have already been searched. We are pursuing the missing person angle of the case as well and our investigators have been sent to Denver to collect information and interview family members. We are waiting on a subpoena so we can get complete computer records from Backhaus' place of employment. We are in the process of regrouping to see where the search will go from here. We will have organized search parties comb the area as they become available, but the search has been scaled back from what it was in the beginning. We are concerned and will continue to search between now and Christmas," said Guymon

Backhaus is from New Castle, Colo. Backhaus is described as 5'2", 135-150 pounds, wears glasses and was wearing hiking pants and a lime green fleece jacket at the time of her disappearance.

She arrived at the Little Wild Horse trail head around 10 a.m. on Nov. 16 and her vehicle has been there ever since. It is a 2004 maroon Ford Explorer with a bike rack on the back. The Emery County Sheriff's Office is requesting that anyone who was in the area from the morning of Nov. 16-24 and has any knowledge to the location of Backhaus should contact the sheriff's office at 435-381-2404.

[Faith]

My prayers that Rose will be found soon. :1222423:

[sarahhod]

Happiness given by Rose
I have been one of many people moving in and out of the Glenwood Springs Copy Copy store. I have gone in to the xerox-haven, made my requests, bantered with folks and moved along.

However, there’s been Rose. Rose Backhaus, very kind face and words, an excellent listener, constant giver, thoughtful problem-solver. She is quick with a smile and genuine warmth. And the manager of Copy Copy.

There is quality and sincerity role-modeled by Rose and her colleague/friends.
If her “missing-ness” is overwhelming to those of us who were brief in her life, imagine the unimaginable loss for her family and friends. There is no copy of Rose ever possible.

Our hearts are extended to those close to her.

To help her son and family, donations can be made to the Alpine Bank of Glenwood Springs in her name, or contact the folks at Copy Copy.

Wendy MacPhail-Brigham
Basalt

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081220/LETTER/812199991/1021&title=Your%20letters

So many people are missing Rose.

Prayers for you Rose and your family and friends.:1222423::1222423:

[sarahhod]

Search continues for missing hiker in Little Wild Horse

http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=7389



Emery County Sheriff LaMar Guymon reported the Emery County Sheriff's Office and the Search and Rescue has searched the area of Little Wild Horse Canyon and northwest of Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon for missing hiker Rose Backhaus. She has been missing in the area since Nov. 16, 2008.

"We searched the area twice before the large storm came in this last week. The area was searched by foot, ATV and on horseback. Roger Jensen organized a large party of riders on horseback and combed the area. They located some footprints and took GPS readings and our Search and Resue people will return to that location to further investigate as weather permits.

"We are waiting for the snow to clear. We have had investigators in Denver, but there have been no additional leads in the case. Anyone can search at any time and our organized searches will resume weather permitting as soon as we can," said Sheriff Guymon.

[sarahhod]

No new clues found in search for missing New Castle woman
By Pete Fowler
pfowler@postindependent.com
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20090120/VALLEYNEWS/901209977/1074&title=No%20new%20clues%20found%20in%20search%20for %20missing%20New%20Castle%20woman



UTAH — Nothing more has turned up in the case of a New Castle woman that went missing in Moab on Nov. 16.

Rose Backhaus, 54, hadn’t been located, and authorities haven’t found any more evidence leading to exactly where she is or what happened to her, Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said Monday.

“If the weather keeps, we’re going to schedule some more searches,” he said. “We’re still monitoring all of her accounts and things. There’s been no action there.”

Backhaus left for a hiking trip in Moab. She was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn there the morning of Nov. 16. Friends, family and co-workers became alarmed when she didn’t return to home that night or to work the next morning as planned. They said she was a level-headed person who wouldn’t run away and would have at least called had her plans changed. Backhaus worked at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs.

Authorities discovered her Ford Explorer Nov. 24 at Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab. Backhaus wasn’t located despite multiple searches by air and by foot with the help of dogs. A witness said they saw Backhaus walking into Little Wild Horse Canyon, part of a popular loop trail. Notes in her car reportedly said she’d arrived at Goblin Valley State Park Nov. 16 and was happy.

Family and friends have spent time in Utah helping out with the search efforts. Rough terrain has made the search difficult. Snow has also covered the area.

“I would think that if she is out there, the way the weather’s been, and the time, I would think that it’s more of a recovery than a rescue,” Guymon said.

He said authorities have been searching “thousands” of acres both inside and outside the state park. He doesn’t plan on giving up.

“Well, we’ve got to find her,” he said. “It’s real simple. We can’t just say, ‘Yeah, she’s dead,’ leave her and walk away. I keep looking at it as I have family and this could happen to them.”

[grammybears]

My hubby and I were just talking about Rose a couple of nights ago. He seems to be of the opinion that her body probably won't be found till spring. She could have taken a fall or some other issue which could have made it difficult to get herself up and get help. I am just not sure what to think. With all the snow we have had here in Utah anything is possible. I just wish that something would happen so that there would be answers for this family.

jmoo

[sarahhod]

Whereabouts of New Castle woman still a mystery

Friends of Rose Backhaus visited Utah state park

By Pete Fowler (pfowler@postindependent.com)
pfowler@postindependent.com


http://www.postindependent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GP&Date=20090422&Category=VALLEYNEWS&ArtNo=904219928&Ref=V1&Profile=1074&maxw=137&MaxH=137 (http://javascript<b></b>:NewWindow(600,700,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/global/zoom.pbs&Site=GP&Date=20090422&Category=VALLEYNEWS&ArtNo=904219928&Ref=V1&Profile=1074&Z='+encodeURIComponent('Rose Backhaus')+'&P='+encodeURIComponent(''));)
Rose Backhaus


Goblin Valley, UTAH — Rose Backhaus still hasn’t been located after going missing in Utah on Nov. 16.

Bachkaus’ son, Michael Backhaus, said a formal memorial or funeral service will be held in the future once his mother is found.

“Obviously it’s hard. She was my mom. I was very close to her. I’ve already come to grips with the fact that she’s no longer here,” he said. “As far as totally letting her go, letting it lie the way it is, that’s really unacceptable to me. I won’t stop looking for her, even if Emery County does. I don’t care if I’m the last person out there looking for her. I will find her.”

Rose Backhaus, 54, of New Castle, was last seen checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab the morning of Nov. 16. Authorities discovered her Ford Explorer Nov. 24 at Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab. Repeated searches of the area by airplane, helicopter, by foot, and with the help of dogs were unsuccessful.

A witness told the sheriff’s office there that Backhaus was seen walking into Little Wild Horse Canyon, part of a popular loop trail. Notes in Backhaus’ vehicle reportedly said she’d arrived at Goblin Valley State Park Nov. 16 and was happy.

Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon couldn’t be immediately reached. He has said in the past that he wouldn’t stop searching until Backhaus is found. His office was reportedly planning another search this coming weekend.

Backhaus was from Denver and lived in the Glenwood Springs area for several years. She worked at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs. A group of around seven of Rose Backhaus’ friends visited Goblin Valley State Park last weekend.

“They wanted to actually see where she went missing and say their own little goodbyes,” said Deb Davis, who was Backhaus’ girlfriend.

Davis said it’s hard to say goodbye when it’s unclear what exactly happened to Backhaus.

“I don’t think she was in the canyon when she went missing,” Davis said. “The extent of the search done — they should have been able to find something. … I don’t understand why they haven’t seen anything. It is frustrating.”

Jim Gisburne was part of the group that visited the park last weekend. He worked for Backhaus at Copy Copy and became friends and hiking buddies with her.

“It was a time for me to see how and why she liked Utah so much, and now I understand,” he said.

Backhaus was a good person who was very friendly and loved her grandchildren, Gisburne said.

“She loved her grandchildren. That’s all she ever talked about. That was her life,” Gisburne added.

Backhaus was an avid hiker. Friends and family said she was a strong-willed, independent person who loved life and being around people. Davis liked Backhaus’ sense of humor and adventure. They spent nearly every weekend touring or hiking places from the Flat Tops to Durango and Georgetown to Moab. Backhaus had more than 95,000 miles on her 2004 vehicle.

Davis said, “I hope that she finds peace. I really think that the only way that she’s going to find that is when we find her and we’re able to put her to rest.”

Michael Backhaus has gone to the area and conducted searches himself. He said, “I won’t stop searching that park until she is found and I make sure she’s put to rest in a respectful manner.”

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20090422/VALLEYNEWS/904219928/1083&ParentProfile=1074

[Nut44x4]

Body of missing Colo. woman found in Emery County
April 27th, 2009 @ 3:31pm
EMERY COUNTY -- The body of a Colorado woman who was reported missing since November was found in Emery County Saturday.

On April 25, three men who were hiking in a slot canyon came across a human body. They notified the Emery County Sheriff's Office, and deputies recovered the remains the next day.

The body was transported to the Utah Medical Examiner's Office, and later identified as 54-year-old Rose Backus.

Backhaus was last seen checking out of a Moab hotel on Nov. 16. Her SUV was found at a nearby canyon trail head on Nov. 24. A search crew was organized, but nothing was found until this weekend.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=6294272

[sarahhod]

Thanks so much Nut.

So glad Rose has been found.

Rest in Peace Rose.

My condolences to your family and friends.

:1222423::1222423::1222423:

[grammybears]

I am so sorry to hear this. With the snow we get here it is not hard to imagine that it took till spring time to find Rose. My prayers are with her family and friends.

[sarahhod]

New Castle woman’s body found in Utah

John Gardner
Glenwood Springs correspondent
Aspen, CO Colorado



CASTLE DALE, UTAH — The body of a New Castle woman who had been missing since November was found Saturday in eastern Utah.

Three hikers found the body of Rose Backhaus, 54, in the upper Chute Canyon area near Little Wild Horse Canyon, in Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said.

Guymon said he was contacted about 3:30 p.m. Saturday while he was riding his mountain bike in the area and was on the scene shortly after.

“I am glad that we are able to get closure for the family,” Guymon said. “And that we’re able to get Rose back to her family. It’s been a tough winter.”

The sheriff’s office, volunteers, family members and friends had conducted several searches of the area where her truck was found without success.

The sheriff’s office assumes that Backhaus was hiking the Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon loop but, took a wrong turn off the actual trail and got lost. Guymon said that it’s an easy thing to do in the area.

“There is no signage on that end of the trail to tell you when you need to make the loop,” Guymon said.

Guymon said that her body was found in one of several slot canyons, an extremely difficult one to get out of. He said that she was stopped by about a 50-foot cliff, and she could not get back up the way she came.

“The area she was in, I would assume that the three guys that found her were probably the first ones to go in there this year,” Guymon said.

According to Climb-Utah.com, the Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon loop, an 8-mile round-trip half-day hike, is one of the most popular hikes in the San Rafael Swell. The website says that there is nothing extremely difficult on the hike; however, there is some navigation required since there are no signs.

Backhaus was last seen Nov. 16 checking out of the La Quinta Inn in Moab. Authorities discovered her Ford Explorer on Nov. 24 at Goblin Valley State Park, about 70 miles west of Moab. A witness told the sheriff’s office that Backhaus was seen walking into the Little Wild Horse Canyon.

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20090428/NEWS/904279909/1058

[sarahhod]

Body of missing woman found by hikers in slot canyon

Published: Monday, April 27, 2009 11:37 p.m. MDT


CASTLE DALE — Hikers have stumbled upon the body of a Colorado woman missing for months.
The Emery County Sheriff's Office said Monday that three hikers in a slot canyon in the Baptist Draw and upper Chute Canyon area came across a human body on Saturday. They notified deputies and led them to the remains.
"On Sunday morning, sheriff's office personnel and search and rescue members responded back to the area and spent the remainder of the day hiking into the slot canyon and recovering the remains," Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said in a statement.
A helicopter ferried the remains to the state medical examiner. The body was identified as Rose Backhaus, 54, who vanished in November, Guymon said.
Backhaus checked out of a La Quinta Inn in Moab on Nov. 16, and she was last seen at a trailhead a short time later. Her SUV was found Nov. 24.

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/1149865.jpg (http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/1149865.jpg)

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705300018/Body-of-missing-woman-found-by-hikers-in-slot-canyon.html

[sarahhod]

Sheriff says hiker faced tough, short fight to live

By DENNIS WEBB/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Tuesday, April 28, 2009


The Utah sheriff who led the search for a New Castle woman whose body was found Saturday says she probably lived only a couple of days after disappearing last November.
Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said Rose Backhaus would have faced difficult weather conditions following her disappearance Nov. 16 while hiking southwest of Green River. Hikers found her body in the upper Chute Canyon area Saturday.
Autopsy results showed Backhaus died of exposure, Guymon said.
He said Backhaus had wrapped herself with plastic beneath her clothing for added warmth, apparently using bags she may have brought along in case of rainy weather.
He said no notes were found with her body.
Backhaus is believed to have set out to do a loop hike of popular Bell and Little Wild Horse canyons. After reaching the top of Bell Canyon, she apparently headed for the turnoff into Little Wild Horse canyon but missed it. Guymon said she ended up in a slot canyon feeding into Chute Canyon, but was stopped at the slot canyon’s end by a 40-foot drop-off. She was unable to backtrack because what she had descended was too steep to climb.
Guymon said Backhaus apparently had taken shelter beneath a crevice before dying.
“It looks like she just kind of sat there and went to sleep,” he said.
Jim Gisburne, who worked with Backhaus at Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs and sometimes hiked with her, said she probably didn’t suffer a lot of pain, but instead just endured anguish and frustration over her situation.
“Hopefully at some point she just had a trauma response and just let her body shut down,” he said.
Backhaus, 54, was a mother and grandmother and an avid hiker. She had gone to Moab the weekend of Nov. 16 and failed to show up back at work Nov. 17. Her vehicle wasn’t discovered at the loop hike trailhead until Nov. 24.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Gisburne said. “I’m glad we’ll finally get some closure.”

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/04/28/042909_3a_missing_woman_folo.html

:1187603408.CR.Mothe :1222423::1222423:

[annalyzer]

Hiker's son thanks search teams

Posted: 04/30/2009 03:49:29 PM MDT
Updated: 04/30/2009 03:57:06 PM MDT

Michael Backhaus said today he was eternally grateful to all those who searched for his mother, Rose Backhaus, who was found dead in an eastern Utah canyon last weekend.

The 54-year-old grandmother of three and avid hiker went missing on an excursion in the region in November. Her body was found Saturday in a slot canyon about 60 miles southwest of Green River.

The autopsy found she died of exposure as the the weather worsened beyond what her clothing was equipped for.

A massive and intensive search failed to find her.

"We really appreciate every person who looked for her," Michael Backhaus said Thursday. "So many people who looked for her didn't even know her."

Businesses in Glenwood Springs, where Backhaus managed a copy store, raised money to assist in the search.

Dozens of people from Denver and Garfield County drove to Utah to help about 40 personnel from four Utah agencies.

Funeral arrangements are still pending, her son said.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12265066

[annalyzer]

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa96/voniii07/SYMPATHY.jpg