Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office closes nearly 7-year-old missing person case
LEMHI COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office has officially closed a nearly seven-year-old missing persons investigation after investigators positively identified human remains discovered late last year using DNA evidence.
The case began on November 8, 2019, when the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office received a report from the Springdale (Arkansas) Police Department regarding Bobby Lee Rodriguez. Rodriguez had last been seen on September 30, 2019, near Wagonhammer Spring south of North Fork, Idaho.
According to investigators, a taxi driver dropped Rodriguez off at the location, with Rodriguez telling the driver he was meeting a relative who was camping nearby. Rodriguez was carrying a boxed firearm, which he claimed was intended as a gift for that relative.
A Lemhi County Sheriff's Deputy immediately canvassed the area surrounding Wagonhammer, speaking with residents and local businesses to gather possible information about Rodriguez. However, no one in the area had seen Rodriguez or anyone matching his description.
While the Lemhi County Sheriff's Office maintained contact with the Springdale Police Department and periodically checked to see if any new information had developed, the case eventually ran cold.
The breakthrough came six years later, when a fisherman on the Salmon River, west of North Fork, Idaho, discovered human remains while climbing a hillside to get warm.
The man led law enforcement to the remains, where investigators uncovered a rusted shotgun with a spent hull in the chamber and a note that suggested that suicide may have been a factor.
The Lemhi County Coroner’s Office took custody of the remains, which were recently confirmed to be those of Bobby Lee Rodriguez through a DNA match with a relative. LCSO states that no evidence of foul play was uncovered during the multi-jurisdictional investigation.
"The Lemhi County Sheriff's Office would like to extend its deepest condolences to the family of Bobby Lee Rodriguez," the office said in a news release.
The Lemhi County Sheriff's Office expressed its gratitude to all of its state, regional, and Federal partners who had a hand in bringing this case to a close.
