62-year-old Yuma man declared dead
More than two years after a 62-year-old Yuma man went missing in a remote section of the Sonoran Desert known as the Tinajas Atlas Mountains, a Yuma County Superior Court judge has granted a petition by his trustee to declare him dead.
In two affidavits filed in Yuma County Superior Court in March, Phoenix attorney Thomas Asimou, of the firm Asimou & Associates, PLC, asked that a death certificate be issued for William “Bud” Hardy III, in order to bring closure to his friends and so his trustee can proceed with administering his final affairs.
Hardy was last seen by a neighbor at approximately 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019 leaving his home in the 11200 block of south Ocotillo Lane in his Chevrolet pickup truck.
“Bud was uncomfortable traveling more than a couple of miles from his home independently,’ Asimou wrote. “The day he went missing Bud told his neighbor that he would be returning shortly, and was expecting visitors.”
A hearing was held on the matter on April 29 before Superior Court Judge Claudia Gonzalez, who granted a petition for presumption of death, declaring Hardy deceased on the day he went missing.
In the court filings, Asimou contended that since Hardy’s whereabouts are unknown, and his body has never been found, it would be impossible to determine how he may have died.
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents found Hardy’s pickup truck 50 days after his disappearance, stuck on a rock with its front wheels off the ground in a remote section of the Sonoran Desert six miles southeast of Foothills Boulevard and East County 14th Street.
“The truck was locked, with no keys in the ignition, and no sign of foul play,” Asimou wrote.
The Yuma County Sheriff Office’s search and rescue conducted a three-day aerial search of the area covering approximately four square miles, but was unable to locate Hardy.
The YCSO also issued two press releases shortly after Hardy went missing, but have not received any additional information in the past two years.
A Missing Persons Flyer was subsequently distributed state-wide to law enforcement, government agencies and media outlets.
Hardy’s information has also been placed with the National Crime Information Center and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
While Hardy did not have a credit card or own a cell phone, he did use a debit card, and there has been no activity on his bank account since he went missing.
Hardy, who was living with his girlfriend at the time, was unemployed and his only source of income was a trust fund that had been set up for his benefit. He also did not have a life insurance policy.
In one of his court filings Asimou included that Hardy may have suffered from alcohol-induced dementia and easily got lost without assistance from others.