Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue crews recovered the body of a man found late Wednesday in the Foothills near the Dry Creek Trail.
The body was found in the same area where search and rescue crews have been searching for missing hiker Kyle Crowden since early February. Ada County Coroner’s officials were not able to make a definitive identification of the man by Thursday afternoon.
The coroner’s office has the man at their Boise facility and is expected to be able to make a positive ID by Friday.
Family members reported the 27-year-old Crowden missing on Feb. 11. He told people he was going to hike the Dry Creek trail on Feb. 9 and was not seen after that.
Crowden’s car was found near the Dry Creek trailhead on Feb. 11 and an extensive search ensued.
Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue crews, Ada County Sheriff’s deputies, and family and friends of Crowden did multiple searches since then but were not able to locate him in the snow-covered Foothills.
The body removed Thursday was discovered the night before by a hiker who was looking for antlers.
That hiker was on the Dry Creek trail and using binoculars to search the ground of a ravine when he saw what looked like a body.
That hiker got down the trail and into cell phone range, where he called Ada County dispatch.
At that point, the decision was made to wait until the morning to search due to darkness and the thunderstorms rolling through the Boise area at the time.
The hiker took deputies about five miles up the Dry Creek trail Thursday morning, where they found the body, which was about 30-to-40 feet off the side of the trail and down a ravine.
The body was underneath a tree and thick brush and was very difficult to see. There were no obvious signs of physical trauma. There was also a significant amount of snow in the area.
Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue crews arrived a short time and were able to recover the man and move him down about five miles of trail by Thursday afternoon.
Coroner’s officials then took the body to the Boise facility.
The ACSO would like to thank Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue (IMSR) crews for all their hard work and dedication. IMSR, a volunteer organization, is an invaluable partner and greatly appreciated.