Sheriff’s office recovers firearm linked to killing of man found near Jordanelle Reservoir

HEBER CITY — Wasatch County investigators have recovered a firearm they believe was used to kill a man whose body was found near a car at the entrance of Jordanelle State Park in September.

Patrick L. Hayes, 61, of Hideout, Wasatch County, was found dead outside a car on the shoulder of a roadway near the Ross Creek Day Use Area on Sept. 26. Police said the car had been sitting there for hours with the blinker on before it was reported.

The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that while executing a search warrant, officers recovered a firearm they believe was used to kill Hayes. Officials did not specify where the search warrant was executed.

Officials believe that prior to his death, Hayes was involved in a road rage incident where he approached another vehicle and “aggressively called the other driver out of the vehicle” with a metal baton and pocket knife in hand, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

“Ultimately, the driver of the second vehicle appears to have shot and killed Mr. Hayes. At this time, we are analyzing evidence as to whether Mr. Hayes was attempting to enter the vehicle,” the statement says.

Evidence has been submitted to the State Crime Lab for analysis, which officials believe will aid in determining the situation’s circumstances that led up to the death of Hayes.

“We are fully investigating this matter for all possible crimes, including homicide, and considering all defenses, including self-defense,” the sheriff’s office statement says.

The statement also says the Hayes family has been cooperative with the investigation.

“My dad was always making people laugh; he was always larger than life, almost 6-foot-6, so he was larger than all of us, but he also had a big personality and loved hard,” Christian Hayes said during an October press conference. “He loved everyone, swimming, water polo — he touched the community forever.”