Man falls from cliff along the Green River and dies

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Search and rescue teams from the National Parks, State Parks and the Emery County Sheriff’s Office located the body of a missing kayaker on June 17 on the Green River. Douglas Fisher, age 62 an avid kayaker from Massachusetts put on the river on June 6 at the Crystal Geyser and was to get out at the confluence of the Colorado River on the morning of June 16.
He was reported overdue on June 16 by a Moab rafting company. Fisher had arranged for the rafting company to shuttle his vehicle to where he would exit the river. When he didn’t arrive they searched around and then contacted the parks service to report Fisher missing. The parks service flew the area on June 16 and didn’t locate the man. On Tuesday they called the Emery County Sheriff’s Office and asked for assistance. Sgt. Les Wilberg, Sgt. Mitch Vetere and Det. John Barnett aided in the search. Three boats put in to search on June 17. Other boaters in the area, had located some belongings in a small cove area and notified authorities.
The kayak and personal belongings were located in a cove at Bull Hollow, 22 air miles and 35 river miles south of Green River.
Upon arriving at the scene, Emery County Sheriff’s Office personnel began scouring the area.
The National Parks located the body from the air late in the afternoon on June 17. The body was in a canyon approximately a half mile from the camp site. The personnel on the ground hiked to the location of the body. The man was deceased and it was reported he had severe head injuries and a broken leg.
He had reportedly crawled a short distance and then expired. It appeared the subject had been deceased for several days.
Rescuers reported the man had probably fallen from the cliff while taking pictures. The last picture recorded in his camera was June 7.
Due to the lateness of the hour on Tuesday it was determined the body could not be recovered until the following morning.
The Emery County Sheriff’s Office personnel put in at Green River State Park on Wednesday and prepared to recover the body.
They brought him by stretcher to the kayak and he was placed in a protective bag.
He was brought back up the river to the Green River State Park where Mitchell’s Funeral Home picked up the body and transported it to the medical examiners office in Salt Lake.