In the quiet community of Page, Arizona, concern grew for 54-year-old Male Dennis Dillinger after he was last seen on December 1, 2023. Friends and family lost contact with him after he was spotted at a Family Dollar store in the nearby city of Kanab, Utah. Mr. Dillinger, a resident of Page, was driving his silver and grey 1991 Dodge Dakota pickup truck.
While he was known to have experience with the outdoors, his complete lack of communication was out of character and raised immediate alarms among his loved ones. His last known whereabouts were traced through his cellphone, which pinged a tower near Big Water, Utah, on the morning of December 2, 2023, adding a layer of mystery to his sudden disappearance.
As days turned into weeks and then months, the search for Dennis Dillinger intensified. Law enforcement from the Page Police Department, along with Coconino and Kane County authorities, coordinated extensive search and rescue efforts. Helicopters and ground crews scoured the vast and rugged landscapes of the region, including the areas around Big Water and Escalante. Desperate for answers, his family offered a significant $10,000 reward for any information that could lead to his location, a sum that was in addition to a $1,000 reward offered by the police. Despite these efforts and the heartfelt pleas from his family, the search yielded no signs of Mr. Dillinger or his vehicle, leaving a painful void for all who knew him.
The search came to a tragic end in early September 2025, nearly two years after he vanished. Recreationists at Lone Rock Beach within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area noticed a vehicle submerged beneath the water's surface in Lake Powell and alerted authorities. The National Park Service responded, and using the vehicle's VIN number, they confirmed the truck belonged to Dennis Dillinger. On September 3, 2025, the vehicle was carefully extracted from the lake. Inside, investigators made the heartbreaking discovery of human remains. The remains were transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office for formal identification and to determine a cause of death. The case that began as a missing person report for a 54-year-old man last seen on a routine shopping trip ultimately concluded with a somber discovery in the depths of Lake Powell, bringing a sorrowful close to a long and painful period of uncertainty for his family and community.Last Seen: Dec 5, 2023
