The Disappearance of Jerika Binks

Let's take a look at Jerika Binks' mysterious disappearance. On February 18th, 2018, while out on a run in the American Fork Canyon, Utah, she vanished.

Jerrica, 24 years old at the time of her disappearance, was living at a residential treatment center, because she had been addicted to drugs in the past. Her most recent drug-related offense was from 2017. According to her family, she was sober and determined to start over. She had recently started a new job at a construction company. On February 17th, the evening before she vanished, she and her roommates went bowling, and she called her mother after she got back home.

Around 9:00 a.m on February 18th, Jerika, left the residential treatment center where she was living. This is the last time she was seen in person. Jerika and her roommate planned to run the Timpanogos Cave Trial together that day. However, because it was Sunday, her roommate chose to go to church instead. Jerika never returned home.

She frequently ran this trial because she was an avid long-distance runner. She took her phone, water bottle, and earbuds, leaving her wallet and ID at home. Jerika was wearing a two-toned gray sweater, dark green pants and barefoot shoes. She didn’t use a fitness tracker or fitness app to track her location.

Shortly, before 9:30 a.m. Jerika can be seen on CCTV turning left onto North County Blvd, a busy street with well known chain stores and homes. At 9:38 a.m. Jerika was captured on CCTV running past the Utah State Developmental Center, a government organization that assists those with impairments. Around 9:50 a.m. she can be seen on CCTV again this time at a local Walmart. Jerika can be seen at the entrance of the Highland Trials on CCTV at 9:55 a.m. Her phone pinged at 10:30 a.m. at the entrance of the American Fork Canyon. She was last captured on CCTV at 1:30 p.m. running toward the visitor’s center.

When she failed to show up at the residential treatment center that evening, an employee informed Jerika's mom Suzanne, who lived close to the facility. All of Jerika's possessions, including two uncashed checks, her wallet, and identification, were found after a thorough search of her room. Calls to her phone went straight to voicemail. That evening, Jerika's mother filed a missing person's report.

The night of her disappearance, it started to snow. This caused car accidents and tied up local emergency responders who were requested to help clear up the car accidents. The snow also made for slippery conditions in the canyon. The missing person's report had been submitted in the wrong district, due to a police error, making the search for Jerika impossible. After eight days, which is a long period, search teams finally began their search for Jerrica. They began searching the canyon, right away.

The search for Jerika was unsuccessful; it turned up no information about what had happened. In exchange for any information regarding Jerika's disappearance, her family offered a $5,000 reward.

A photographer who was hiking in the canyon on the day Jerika vanished, reported hearing gunshots to the police that day. It didn’t sound like a rifle but more like a handgun. She stated that the noise scared her dogs. She said they had passed some type of ritual site, and observed sticks that had been made into spears, laid out in symbols. So, before hearing the gunshot she was already uneasy. Unfortunately, this tip went nowhere.

A month after Jerika disappeared, park staff discovered footage on a wildlife camera. It shows Jerika running down the Timpanogos Cave Trail at 1:30 pm in a section of the park that had been closed for the winter. By this time, Jerika already spent over 4 hours outside. She was heading in the direction of the visitor’s center to exit the canyon.

Police searched the area extensively. They used search and rescue helicopters and drones to search the trail Jerika can be seen on, three or four times a day for several days. Even with the footage, and clues showing in which direction Jerika was running, where she might have exited the canyon. The search turned up nothing according to detectives.

Mountain lions have been seen in the canyon, so theories started to circulate that she had been attacked by one. However, it’s really unlikely that she was attacked by an animal. Could she have been on a dangerous trail and have fallen off? According to the video of her last known location, she was well past any dangerous cliffs or paths. Maybe she ran away, but she left her wallet and money at home. So,this is also unlikely.

By late December 2018, Police were no longer actively searching for Jerika but the case remains open.

In January 2019, police received a tip regarding Jerika’s disappearance. According to a confidential informant, Jerika's disappearance was the result of a crime. A search warrant was made public, it stated that a c.i. had told them an acquaintance had asked him "what to do when your friend asks you to help hide a body." The c.i. claimed that although the acquaintance did not claim that it was Jerika's body, the informant knew that the acquaintance was referring to Jerika. There are some issues with this tip, a spokesperson with the Utah County Sheriff's Office stated but they weren't downplaying this tip.

On April 14th, 2019, a man climbing in a remote area of the American Fork Canyon found human remains. Through dental records it was confirmed that the remains belong to Jerika.

In a press conference held on April 17th, police stated that Jerika had suffered a severe break in her tibia and fibula. Jerika’s cell phone and shoes were found with her remains. Police have said it’s unlikely to be foul play due to the remote location.