One-vehicle crash near Bill Evans Reservoir leaves two dead
By Roger Lanse
UPDATE: According to a GCSO offense report the 1989 red and gray Dodge pickup went off the road about three miles past the Bill Evans Lake turnoff on Bird Sanctuary Road. Deputies were guided to the crash site by a Riverside resident who witnessed the accident.
The report stated that deputies found Maryann Poulsen, 34, of Woodland Hills, Utah, deceased, under the wreckage of the pickup, and Leif Aaron Coty Carter, 40, also of Woodland Hills, Utah, also deceased, with what appeared to be a bullet hole in his head and holding a handgun in his right hand
Deputies learned the couple had been camping at the Bird Sanctuary. Earlier that day a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer had visited their camp and issued several citations for various violations, the report said.
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Saturday evening, December 14, 2019, about 8:38, Grant County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Newby Road near Bill Evans Reservoir in reference to a vehicle accident with injuries.
According to GCSO Lt. Mike Burns, when deputies arrived on scene at about 9 p.m., they found a Dodge pickup with Utah plates, and attached horse trailer, that had gone off the road and down a steep slope. The pickup came to rest upside down approximately 50 feet below the road with the trailer above the pickup on the slope right side up. Burns told the Beat that the extremely unstable condition of the trailer made access to the pickup very difficult and dangerous.
When they were able to access the pickup, Burns stated deputies discovered two deceased individuals, a female who was outside the cab and partially pinned and crushed underneath it and a male lying on the ground near the female. The two were the only occupants of the pickup.
The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notice of next-of-kin. The ages of the deceased couple was estimated at late 20s to early 30s, Burns said.
The trailer being towed by the pickup contained as many as 10 dogs, Burns stated. He told the Beat that a rancher who leases U.S. Forest Service land in the area found two dogs near the crash site, possibly a Corgi and a chocolate lab. The rancher is holding those two while keeping an eye out for the others who ran off.
Burns also praised the Cliff-Gila Volunteer Fire and EMS for their assistance.
The incident is being actively investigated by both GCSO and OMI, and Burns stressed that much of the information about the crash is unconfirmed at this point.