This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Manhattan, Kan. • Police in northeast Kansas say a missing Manhattan man has been found dead in his van off Interstate 70 in Utah, the apparent victim of a one-vehicle accident.

The family of 54-year-old David Welch reported him missing Sept. 3, one day after he drove away from his home without saying where he was going.

The Riley County Police Department says it was notified by the Utah Highway Patrol that a hitchhiker found Welch's van and his body Friday at the bottom of a ravine along I-70. The site is about 47 miles west of Green River, Utah, and 770 miles west of Manhattan, which is also located near the interstate.

Authorities say evidence indicates the accident occurred Sept. 3, but the van couldn't be seen from the highway.