According to a Facebook post by Sheriff Scott Turner from Idaho’s Boise County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, the remains of a hiker from Idaho who went missing in June 2016 have been located.
Jack Thomas, a 66-year-old hiker, had disappeared while hiking near the Queen’s River trailhead in the Sawtooth Mountains. He had utilized a satellite GPS device to transmit his location on June 15, but he didn’t return as anticipated the following day, as stated in a Fox News report.
Despite a two-week-long search at that time, no evidence of Thomas was discovered, as reported by the Idaho Statesman.
Recently, there was a significant breakthrough when fellow hikers in the Sawtooth Range stumbled upon a wallet, clothing, and a hiking boot. This discovery occurred last month.
After discovering the items, the hikers shared the GPS coordinates with Elmore County officials, who determined that the location was within Boise County, as indicated in the Statesman’s report.
Sheriff Turner expressed to the Statesman that officials were nearly certain, at a 99.9 percent confidence level, that they had indeed located Thomas based on the uncovered items.
It took a few weeks to coordinate a subsequent search effort for Thomas, the report detailed. The team included County Coroner Pam Garlock, a sheriff’s office detective, and federal Forest Service personnel, all of whom embarked on a journey to the indicated site of the remains.
During the search, various items such as an ice axe, iPod, cell phone, day pack, and satellite GPS device were found. Eventually, skeletal remains were also discovered, positioned roughly half a mile away from the trail. It appeared that Thomas had veered off the trail to explore nearby mountain lakes.
The detective from the sheriff’s office speculated that during his detour, Thomas might have encountered a tragic event that led to his incapacitation.
Jack Thomas was renowned as a seasoned hiker who had a fondness for embarking on solo journeys into the remote wilderness.
