Missing Person Michael Grenley

[driskill]

This has only recently been on the news yet this man has been missing since July 19th. Here is a news article:

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There is also a Facebook page set up and people are reposting on various offroad boards. Because it is suspected that he could have gone offroading as he commonly does, I keep thinking HAZ may be an excellent option because hikers may have recently noticed such a Red Jeep while hiking all over the state. If you have any tips, please help out. I don't know him personally but I know that I would want to have as many eyes out for me as possible if I were in trouble.

Here is the Facebook link
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Here is the summary text:
GLENDALE - Glendale Police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing 41-year-old man.

Michael Sean Grenley has not been seen or heard from since about 1 p.m. July 19. He left his home near 75th Ave and Deer Valley Road in his red Jeep Rubicon, AZ license plate 797-VZS.

He is described as an avid off-road enthusiast and may have driven to a remote area in his Jeep.

Grenley suffers from an ongoing medical condition and needs to take prescription medication

[hikeaz]

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[Boscoaz]

I am heading up towards West Clear Creek this weekend and will keep an eye out. Do they have any idea where he might have gone?

[driskill]

Unfortunately it seems to be a mystery and I don't believe any of his friends or family can even say for sure that offroading is where he went at all! It sounds like from where they have searched so far that he frequented the Bradshaws, Sedona, Four Peaks and north of Lake Pleasant. My thoughts are that if he did get in trouble somewhere it could have been an unfamiliar area. For all anyone knows though he may not have even left to go offroading at all. They have resorted to checking bus stations and other places his jeep might be parked as well. A buddy and I posted laminated missing signs at the entrances along the I-17 from Phoenix to Prescott off of Table Mesa, Bloody Basin, Pine Flats in Mayer, Poland Junction, pretty much every headroad along that route. I would say just keep your eyes out wherever you are and if everyone else does the same, we are pretty much doing all we can. I don't know the man at all but I don't get the picture that he would have left his jeep to hike. I would think his jeep would be the first thing found. It's definitely mysterious.

[Alston_Neal]

This is sad and the wife was very straight forward in her letter.
I hope for the family this ends in a good way.


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[dezurtrat]

Early reports are coming in that Michael has unfortunately been found deceased by Yavapi Search & Rescue. This was reported at the AZ Virtual Jeep Club. No details but heartbreaking if true. I hurt for his family.

[juliachaos]

How unfortunate

This was posted on the Facebook missing person page:

Dear Friends of Michael Grenley - it is with the deepest regret that I must inform you of the passing of Michael Grenley. We have taken great care to attempt to notify all close friends and family members via direct contact. Undoubtedly, some of you will have been missed. Facebook is not the ideal vehicle for communicating such difficult news. At the request and on behalf of Missy, we would like to express how grateful we are for the tireless search efforts conducted by friends, colleagues, community, and law enforcement. We are particularly grateful to the Yavapai County Search and Rescue Team for bringing Michael home. This will undoubtedly be a long journey of recovery for the Grenley family. We request your understanding, patience, and privacy as the family grieves. To that end, we have suspended comments in this forum. A moderated blog has been established at http://fomgblog.blogspot.com/ for sharing your support of the family and rememberances of Michael. Please note that comments will not appear immediately (up to 24 hours) due to moderator pre-screening.

[Alston_Neal]

It is a sad outcome, at least there is closure for the family.

[John9L]

Devastating! Absolutely devastating! This really hits home for me being an ex-jeeper. There is a lot written over on the virtual jeep club. They were mentioned in the azcentral article. There's always people stepping up from that club when people are in need. They are looking to dedicate the annual Crown King run. I thought that would be a nice tribute to such a sad tragedy.

Thread from the VJC
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Michael Grenley's wife thought her husband left for lunch on July 19, but grew concerned when he never returned to their Glendale home. His body was found more than two weeks later next to his Jeep Rubicon north of Lake Pleasant.

A motorcyclist came across the red Jeep on Aug. 6 and alerted the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. The vehicle was off the main road on rough terrain at least 10 miles north of Lake Pleasant. The Jeep's front end was stuck on a large boulder, said Dwight D'Evelyn, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Grenley had clearly died a while ago, although the time and cause of his death is not yet known, D'Evelyn said. The Medical Examiner's Office is reviewing the body, but D'Evelyn said there was no evidence of foul play or struggle.

After an exhaustive search, Melissa Grenley learned Monday that her husband had been found. She said it was a mix of shock and relief that he'd finally been located.

Several of his co-workers from Honeywell had searched for their friend. They even started a fund to help pay for a private investigator, Grenley said. She'd also posted a message on the Arizona Virtual Jeep Club's website asking people to keep an eye out for her husband's red Jeep. The club members' efforts went beyond her expectations. They spent "many, many tanks of gas and many, many days out in the desert looking for a man they didn't even know," Grenley said.

She doesn't know what made her 41-year-old husband, who'd been working from their home near 75th Avenue and Deer Valley Road, opt to go off-roading alone. He almost always took someone with him, she said.

She called him a wonderful father and regretted he wouldn't be there to see their 6-year-old son grow up.

She said she'd met Michael when she was just 18 years old. They'd been married 17 years and she called him her biggest supporter.

"We were best friends," Grenley said. "We kind of grew up together."

[Jeffshadows]

This is awful. I actually go four-wheeling alone a lot since I think you have that sense of security that you have a vehicle. This will make me think twice!

[azbackpackr]

It seems to me that you do have some security with a vehicle, Jeff, assuming you do not have a major medical problem. You can carry a lot more water, provisions, and shelter in a Jeep than you can in a backpack. You can also carry a CB radio, cell phone, sat phone, beacon device, etc., a lot more easily. I do wonder if the fellow had a medical issue, though. Sad story.

[Boscoaz]

So sad. I really feel for the family. I've been following the status on the facebook page and at least a tragedy like this makes you realize that there are good people out there. The out-pouring of support from people that never even knew him has been astonishing.

[CannondaleKid]

It appears there may have been a health issue here. If that's the case, even being with others may not have changed the outcome. Be that as it may, from what I understand Michael was doing something he enjoyed, which to me is not a bad thing. If I meet my end 4-wheeling or hiking, I'm ok with that.

While the percentage is probably now approaching 30%, for years 90% of my hikes were solo and I gave no second thought to security. Knowing I had to be completely self-reliant I tended to over-prepare and/or over-plan. But now after enough years hiking solo in remote areas and many times in high heat conditions I've pared down on what I need for myself, although I still tend to carry more things to help others in need than myself. (Mainly because each time I rendered assistance, I realized I could have done more with just a few more very small items)

I don't have any beacon or electronic devices to broadcast my position (and likely never will) so it's pretty much that I leave information where I'm going and when I expect to return, but I continue to hike and/or 4-wheel alone in remote locations and under extreme conditions when it's very likely nobody else will be around, which I don't mind at all. (I did it just yesterday)

Now that my knee surgery has been proven successful with a number of arduous hikes over uneven terrain, I'm working on a plan for a multiple day hike/search for GPS Joe.