![]() He was a sci-fi junkie who avidly followed the Avengers, the Japanese anime show “Naruto Shippuden” and Star Wars. He was a committed son and brother, a beloved bridge in a family split by divorce. Raised in the church, Mormonism constituted a foundational aspect of Fisher’s identity – but it was not his only identifier. Israel Canyon, where Harry Fisher's body was found. With his Brigham Young University hoodie in his passenger seat, Fisher drove his 1995 Toyota 4Runner south from Draper to a final destination resonant with religious overtones: Israel Canyon.įisher left his scriptures in the passenger seat, bookmarked on Matthew 16:25: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”Ī search team found Fisher’s body 11 days later, lying atop the canyon overlook with a gun at his side and three of his Mormon church membership cards in his pocket, Paul Fisher said. Paul Fisher said that sometime in the hours that followed, Harry left his apartment – taking his Bible and Book of Mormon, but leaving behind an empty gun case and a typed note. ![]() On February 12, Harry Fisher closed his computer, leaving one last virtual fingerprint on LDS.org. Mormon leaders have been laboring to create a welcoming atmosphere for all members – gay or not – even as they hold fast to doctrines that regard homosexual acts as sinful. They disagree to what extent the Mormon church played a role in fostering feelings of isolation.Ĭlaire Fisher is a Mormon Paul Fisher, though married to Claire for a decade, never joined the church.īut this much is clear: Their son’s struggle to reconcile his faith with his identity was not his alone. ![]() The Fishers, who are divorced, agree that being gay was a source of loneliness for their son. Harry’s mother, Claire, also spoke with CNN. Paul Fisher shared his son’s final Facebook posts, corresponding comments from friends, and a 30-day internet search history with CNN in an effort to shed light on who Harry was, what he loved, and what he believed. Personal videos can be replayed, and for a moment, the dead are resurrected in pixelated form.įor Fisher’s father, Paul Fisher, Harry’s internet search history and Facebook profile provide pieces of a puzzle – an incomplete jigsaw of Harry’s last thoughts and final feelings. Social media profiles remain, frozen in time. Courtesy Fisher Familyĭeath in a digital era lacks a sense of finality. ![]() That history also paints a portrait of a man in his last days, struggling to reconcile his faith with his sexual identity. This was the last webpage Harry Fisher ever visited.Ī search and rescue team used Fisher’s internet history to locate his body high above Israel Canyon, a scenic hiking destination south of Salt Lake City, Utah. Some suggested answers included: “Read the scriptures,” “Trust in the Lord and look to Him for support” and “Engage in mighty prayer.” The Sunday school manual’s answers were meant to be a model for Latter-day Saints to follow. And in his last month of life, he publicly outed himself as gay on Facebook. He had fallen behind in his classes and failed a job screening that his mother said he had placed high hopes in. The 28-year-old Brigham Young University student was under stress in his final semester at school. Perhaps Fisher was looking for answers himself. He searched Google Maps for nearby canyons and read through the lesson plan for a Sunday school class he would not live to teach.įisher navigated to LDS.org, the official website for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and clicked on a page he knew well: the church-issued “Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual.”įrom there, Fisher visited the webpage of the assigned lesson plan for the upcoming Sunday it was titled “I Know in Whom I Have Trusted.” The last section of the lesson suggested asking class members to analyze a chapter from the Book of Mormon and report on how the scriptural characters responded to discouragement. On the night of February 12, 2016, Harry Fisher spent a few hours online: He scrolled through Facebook, checked his email.
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