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Bushling is a soldier and was assigned to Fort Collins, Colorado and stationed at the Army base in Dugway, Utah in May 2011. He left the English Village area early in the morning on May 8 and drove out into the desert in a borrowed black 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer. At 7:00 p.m., he called a friend in Dugway and left a message, saying he'd run out of gas and was going to try to walk back to the Dugway Proving Ground. He said he was very cold, he'd lost his flip-flops and was using his shirt as footwear, it was raining and he needed help. This was the last contact with him; he never arrived back in Dugway and has never been heard from again. Six days later, Bushling's vehicle was found abandoned in a deep ravine off a gravel road in a very isolated area 64 miles from Dugway's main gate. Some of Bushling's belongings were inside the vehicle, but there weren't any clues to indicate his whereabouts. The keys were missing. Two days later, Bushling's Arkansas Razorbacks hat was located in the desert six miles from the car. Searchers also found his flip-flops. The terrain where he disappeared is rough and desolate, with lots of caves, and cellular phone reception is poor to nonexistent. Dugway had once served as a chemical weapons testing facility and there are caches of munitions concealed in the desert around the base. Authorities have ruled out suicide and foul play as possible explanations for Bushling's disappearance. A death certificate was issued for him in August 2014; the cause of death was given as exposure due to low temperatures and lack of protective clothing. His family held a memorial service for him and, because the Army had changed his status from a deserter to a deceased person, a six-man Honor Guard was present at the service. His family will now be able to collect his life insurance and military benefits. Tooele County Sheriff's Office 435-882-5600 OR 435-831-2929 brian-ladd.com |
