Coroner identifies four people in recent Bonneville County death investigations
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bonneville County Coroner’s Office has released new details on four recent death investigations, including the recovery of a man who went missing at Palisades Reservoir over the Fourth of July weekend.
The cases include an apparent drowning, a fatal crash, a residential fire and a woman found unresponsive inside her Idaho Falls home.
Palisades Reservoir recovery
The coroner’s office responded with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office to Palisades Reservoir on July 11 after a camper found an unresponsive man floating in the water.
The man was identified as Tory Raether, 55, of North Carolina.
According to investigators, Raether had been reported missing after an incident at the reservoir on July 4. He was visiting Idaho with family when he went to an area commonly known as “Jump Off Rock.”
Investigators said Raether removed his life jacket, climbed onto the rock and jumped into the water. He did not resurface, and search and rescue efforts began that day.
The preliminary cause and manner of death are consistent with an accidental drowning, according to the coroner’s office.
Motor vehicle collision
On July 12, the coroner’s office responded to a Bonneville County hospital after the death of a woman who had been involved in a crash outside the county.
The woman was identified as Ashlee Kollars, 32, of Pocatello.
Although the crash happened in another jurisdiction, the investigation fell under the Bonneville County Coroner’s Office because Kollars was transported to and pronounced dead at a hospital within the county.
The preliminary cause of death is blunt-force injuries sustained in the crash.
Residential fire
Also on July 12, investigators responded after a man was rescued from a residential fire and transported to a hospital in Bonneville County.
The man was identified as Lance Talbot, 58, of McCammon.
The coroner’s office said injuries Talbot sustained in the fire, combined with preexisting medical conditions, are believed to have caused his death.
Death investigation
On July 13, the coroner’s office responded with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office to a home after a woman was found unresponsive.
The woman was identified as Sandy Criddle, 68, of Idaho Falls. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause and manner of her death remain under investigation.
The coroner’s office said death investigations can continue well beyond the initial response and may include reviewing medical records, conducting follow-up interviews, ordering toxicology testing and arranging autopsies.
The Bonneville County Coroner’s Office extended its condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the deaths.
