Death of missing man in Grand County probed

Police are waiting for autopsy results to determine why a Colorado man died on a dirt road in a remote part of Grand County after his vehicle became stuck.

The body of Lou E. Schneider, 81, was found on Feb. 25, nearly a mile from his car in the Dolores Triangle area, which is approximately 20 miles northeast of Moab.

That afternoon, locals crossing the Dolores River upstream from Dewey Bridge spotted a passenger car stuck off the side of a dirt road, according to the Grand County Sheriff's Office. They found Schneider's body a short distance away.

The locals called for help, and Grand County deputies eventually found the site about 11 miles west of the Colorado border, according to a news release. Sheriff's officers reached the area by going through the Colorado National Monument, which is west of Grand Junction.

Schneider had been reported missing on Feb. 23. He was last seen at the Golden Corral restaurant in Grand Junction, Colo. From what investigators could gather, it appeared Schneider's car slid off the road and become stuck. He apparently collapsed while trying to walk out of the area.

The Spanish Valley Mortuary in Moab took Schneider's body to the state medical examiner's office. As of Friday, the Grand County Sheriff's Office had not received autopsy results.

Schneider, a career Navy man, often visited the area where he died with his wife, Renée, to enjoy the natural splendor, his family wrote in an obituary. Renée Schneider, originally from Cedar City, died about two years ago.

Schneider's family buried him in Nevada last week, according to the obituary.

Tribune reporter Jessica Miller contributed to this story.

mmcfall@sltrib.com

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