Human remains found in submerged vehicle in Lake Powell, connected to 2023 missing person case

KANE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — Human remains have been located in a submerged vehicle in Lake Powell. The Kane County Sheriff’s Office connected the vehicle to a 2023 missing person case.

According to a joint press release from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Page Police Department, individuals recreating on Lone Rock Beach in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area over Labor Day weekend discovered a vehicle in the water. They contacted authorities to report their finding.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, personnel from the National Park Service located the vehicle and were able to collect the VIN on the dashboard. A record search on the VIN revealed that the vehicle belonged to a man named Dennis Keith Dillinger.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office says that the Page Police Department in Arizona has had an open missing person case for Dillinger. He was 54 years old and was last seen on Dec. 1, 2023. His last sighting was at the Family Dollar Store in Kanab, traveling in a silver/gray 1991 Dodge Dakota truck.

Earlier today, Sept. 3, the vehicle was extracted from the water. The human remains were transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office for identification and to determine the cause of death.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office says they will be handling the death investigation. They expressed appreciation to the National Park Service rangers, the dive team from the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and the Page Police Department.