Jordan resided in Salt Lake City and was 36 years old at the time he went missing in 2021. It appears that at the time of his disappearance there was very little coverage and the majority of known information has been taken from his family’s Facebook appeal page, which is run by his younger sister Shelby.
Jordan and his younger sister Shelby were incredibly close. In a letter she wrote to her missing brother, she talks about the joys of their childhood, and memories of driving around and listening to Rilo Kiley or Bright Eyes at full blast. She describes him as a talented writer, musician, artist and photographer. Jordan was a caring person; he was an advocate for the LGBTQ+ and homeless communities and would take the time to make sure that people knew how loved and special they were. Unfortunately Jordan had struggled with depression throughout his teenage years and into his adulthood. In 2017, at the age of 31, he moved to Australia with his young family and it was during this time that he suffered his first bout of mania. His second occurred in 2018 along with an episode of psychosis. Jordan returned to America and his mania began to shift into further depression and suicidal thoughts. It is unclear if Jordan was officially diagnosed, but it appears accepted by his family that Jordan was suffering with bi-polar disorder and psychosis.
At some point after his return to Utah, Jordan believed that if he got to California he would be able to find a path to the other side of the world, where his daughter still resided in Australia. Jordan believed he could send a signal to her, and shot 11 flares into the sky. When these signals went unanswered, Jordan lit a fire to a garbage can and port-a-potty, which extended to the brush around them. Jordan was arrested for arson and was jailed for six months, with a requirement to be a part of a mental health programme upon his release. Jordan was due to end his probation on 6th August.
August 2021
Jordan had recently purchased a van that he decked out for camping, and on August 1st 2021 left with the van to head to the San Rafael swell. He had taken his own dog Lily, a Pitbull mix, but also his brother’s dog Cooper, whom he took without permission. Jordan’s family contacted law enforcement in the area and asked them to keep an eye out for him, knowing he was experiencing mania. Shortly after arriving, Jordan’s van got stuck in a desolate area due to flooding that the area was experiencing. Police have never revealed publicly where they located his van, but confirmed that his wallet and computer were located inside.
On August 3rd a couple on an ATV located Jordan and his dog Lily, and gave them a ride to Huntington, Utah. He was described as being dehydrated and wearing a wetsuit, and was checked out by EMTs. One of the attending officers told Jordan his family was looking for him, and offered to get him a room at a local hotel until someone could pick him up. Jordan’s family were informed that he had been located, and although Jordan’s probation officer was due to attend the following day, the family told the officer they were concerned about leaving Jordan alone. Unfortunately the officer was unable to stay, and sometime after the officer left, Jordan left the hotel.
After leaving the hotel, Jordan walked to a nearby convenient store where he spoke to a woman at the counter. She provided some water to Jordan’s dog, Lily. After 15-20 minutes, Jordan left the convenient store and located a garbage truck to the rear of the store which still had its keys in the ignition. Jordan reportedly stole the truck and abandoned it in Price, Utah, where it is believed he then stole a Jeep Renegade. Jordan pulled onto the drive of a private property, which led to an altercation with the resident. It is reported that during this altercation, Jordan hit this male with the vehicle and fled. The male chased after Jordan but ultimately lost sight of him.
Jordan made his way to Moab and attended a Verizon store where he attempted to purchase a mobile phone. This was unsuccessful due to Jordan not having any money or ID on him. Officers reported that they located a structure nearby which they believed Jordan had broken into and taken some water from; dog prints and Redwing boots prints were located in the mud nearby. The Jeep that Jordan had stolen was later found out of gas on the side of the highway at mile marker 21 in Cisco. There are reports that Jordan was sighted walking in Fruita, Grand Junction, Montrose and Nucla, Colorado, but I have no further information on these sightings.
On August 11th, Jordan’s dog Lily was believed to have been seen walking alone on a trail in Montrose County. This was the last sighting of Lily and she has not been located.
Jordan’s brother’s dog, Cooper, was located alive 3 weeks later, approximately 30 miles away from where Jordan’s belongings would ultimately be found.
Sadly, as Jordan went missing in the area of Moab during this time, there was speculation that he could have been responsible for the murders of Kylen Schulte, Crystal Turner, and Gabby Petito. We now know this is not the case, and the family confirmed that law enforcement never treated him as a suspect.
In March 2023 Shelby confirmed that there were no updates. She reported that there had been no official missing persons report listed for Jordan for an entire year after he went missing, allegedly due to some sort of Police error. Despite some strained relationship with the Police, they were able to get Jordan listed on NamUs and the family hired a private investigator, however there were never any further leads as to where Jordan might be, or what happened to him.
Discovery of Jordan’s belongings
Tiktok user (Ryan) @ ry_of_the_desert is a self-described adventurer, posting videos of his adventures outdoors, largely in desert environments. On 22 May 2023, Ryan posted a video of his exploration in the desert of Sevier County, Utah. During this exploration, Ryan discovered some unusual belongings; some clothing, backpacks, and an electric guitar. He posted this video to tikok and it immediately went viral. I’m unable to post the link for Ryan’s Tiktok, but I would highly recommend having a look - he has created a playlist for videos relating to Jordan Boone’s case.
Someone who had seen this video forwarded this on to Jordan’s family, asking if they recognised any of the belongings. They immediately recognised the guitar,
which had been customised by Jordan’s daughter before he went missing. The family have since confirmed that all the belongings found belong to Jordan.
Ryan continued to search the area, and found further belongings that have also been confirmed as belonging to Jordan. These include another backpack, a phone, phone charger, lighter torch, and window chalk paint.
On 30th May Jordan’s family drove out to meet Ryan, and he took them to the spot where he found Jordan’s belongings. Ryan continues to assist the family, and has plans to launch a drone over the area in the hopes of discovering more.
He has provided videos with maps detailing where certain items were found, and I’d recommend having a look so that you can get an idea of the location and its distance from Moab and other sightings.
Conclusion
This is a newly emerging update, and there could well be further updates in the coming days/weeks/months. I intend to update this post with any further updates or discoveries.
His sister Shelby wishes to point out, quite rightly, that Jordan is more than his illness, and he should be seen as a whole person with a family that loves him immensely. He was an exceptionally kind and caring person, and is a loved father, brother and son.
The family have always been open around Jordan’s mental health, and don’t shy away from the fact that this played a huge part in his disappearance. The family have always advocated for education on mental health, and their hope is that others may start to recognise the signs of mental health in others and in themselves, and seek help before any further tragedies occur. They also encourage others to spread love and compassion, and have often asked for empathy for those with mental health issues or criminal histories, like Jordan, and to remember that these are real people with real families and emotions.
Sources
Apologies for the lack of sources, but there is very little official coverage around Jordan’s disappearance or discovery of his belongings. As more information is received, I will add further sources here.
I’m unable to post the Facebook Appeal page, but this can be found by searching “Missing: Jordan Boone and Lily the pit mix dog".
Ryan’s tiktok can be found at @ ry_of_the_desert
Very interesting read. I hope that his family can find peace.
Same here. The desert angle of the story reminds me a bit of the Death Valley Germans.
Woah, that was intense also!! I got pretty engrossed reading it and my (german) boyfriend asked about what I was reading so I gave him the highlights -- a german family got stuck, they searched the obvious area, couldn't find anything within a reasonable distance -- and he was like, did they consider that germans walk a lot farther than normal people? 😅 so cool how the guy writing managed to figure out what happened.